The End of Paralysis
by oftheseaandintothewinds
Summary: Enter Elena Gilbert, 24, hardworking, lovely, and insatiably in love with her long time best friend, Damon Salvatore. Can she make him see that they belong together? Delena. AH/AU.
1. I Can Feel Your Heartbeat

**AN: Just something I want to throw out there for you guys! Tell me how you like it, reviews are love! I'm also in need of a beta, if anyone is interested. So, without further ado…**

* * *

I parked my car in front of the huge driveway, instead of on it, and climbed out of the driver's side door, careful to stay balanced on my heels. I started my trek up the half mile of pavement and let the peacefulness of my surroundings pacify me. Everything had gone wrong today, and I mean _everything_.

Work had been horrendous, and although my job as a P.A. wasn't the most ideal, things usually carried on very smoothly with both my daily workload and my boss, Klaus Mikelson. But today the printer was jamming, and that idiot of an office receptionist, Bonnie, had vanished on maternity leave, which left the office considerably brighter, but more work on my plate, because Klaus is far too lazy to hire, yet alone look for, a replacement.

On a normal day, I spend crazy amounts of time planning meetings, intercepting angry clients and potential serial killers, and doing everything else that Mr. Mikelson is far too lazy to do, which is pretty much everything. Sometimes I find myself covering for him with a pack of clients who expect a well-arranged meeting while dear old Klaus is passed out on his office couch in a drunken stupor. I've done way too much for him; I've done things that surpassed the job description by miles. But now that Bonnie is having a baby (Please, Jesus, let it take after its father), I have to fulfill the role of his personal receptionist too, taking phone calls and doing mundane printer duties. And that printer! I spent most of my day hunched in front of it, while it refused to cooperate and spat blank pages back in my face. By the time it had been fixed, not by me of course, I was so backed up I ended up staying overtime.

As I made my way over the crest of the driveway, I stopped for a moment to look at the scene before me, where the house that my parents bought as newlyweds and raised their little family in stood. It's no longer defined as a home though. I refuse to see it as one. My parents and my brother died eight years earlier, and they took our home with them. A home needs a family to live inside of it, to bring it to life. Without people, a home is just a house.

I stare it down from the highest point on the driveway and survey its emptiness. None of the lights are on, and although it is perfectly kept, there is no homeliness about it, no bikes in the front yard, no car in the driveway. It has the potential though. It had been a home once, and it could be one again. It could be my home if I had someone to share it with. And I knew exactly who I wanted that someone to be.

When I close my eyes, I can see it. The lights on, his car by the house, music playing, the front door opened, the screen door letting the night air inside. I walk in, and run straight to the kitchen and into his arms. He kisses me on the forehead and asks about my day.

"It was fine", I answer. "What're you making?"

"Chicken Noodle Soup. You know I'm not much of a cook, but I've gotta feed my girl."

I snuggle into his side while he stirs. "You've got that bad boy exterior, but you're a real softie deep down there, Salvatore." I laugh, pointing to his heart.

He grumbles good naturedly in response and pulls me in tighter.

I lean up and give him a kiss. "I love you, Mr. Salvatore."

"And I love you, Mrs. Salvatore."

I breathe the fantasy in; hoping that I can pretend it's real, just for a while longer. But of course, I can't. I open my eyes, and the loving and warm house from my dream has vanished, replaced by its true nature. I let a tear slip down my cheek, just one, before I push it away and force myself to stand tall.

"This is your life, Elena! Learn to love it!" I inwardly admonish as I force myself to keep walking toward my empty house. I know that he will never be mine, at least not like that. He is mine in one way though; he has been my best friend since childhood, my confidante, the one who bandaged my skinned knees when I fell off my bike. Our friendship has lasted through everything imaginable, the beatings from his father, and the death of my parents, his first time, and my lack of a first time. And we have the perfect friendship, we really do. Except for the fact that I want more and he obviously doesn't. He doesn't have to tell me, I just know because I know him.

Damon's been through a lot in his twenty three years. His father started to beat him at a young age, taking out the anger he felt for the loss of his wife and the mother of his sons. Damon took it though; to make sure he could protect his little brother, Stefan. His logic was that if his father had one punching bag, he wouldn't need two. We lived next door to each other, and we still do. Damon and I became friends when we were little, playing together in the largeness of our shared back yard. We were inseparable.

* * *

When I was ten and he was eleven, he crawled in my window, like he frequently did. I always left it open, and my mother Miranda considered both Damon and Stefan as her own, letting them come whenever they pleased. He slid over my window sill and crawled over to the floor by my bed, leaning his back against it. I slipped down and sat next to him, holding Teddy close to me. We stayed there for a while, before he spoke.

"'Lena, I killed my mom. I killed her."

"No you didn't. She got sick, remember?" I waited for a minute. "My mommy said that they needed her to be an angel in heaven, 'cause they were running out."

"Dad told me that she died because of me, because I'm…shit." He cringed when he said the last word. He told me later that that was the first time he had ever cussed. When he turned to look at me, I could see a purple bruise forming on his temple.

"You are not. You're awesome, Damon." I said, curling onto my side. He lay down next to me, and looked at me for a while before he shut his eyes. I reached my hand out and held his, gripping it as tight as possible. When he started crying, I pretended to be asleep.

That was the first and only time I have ever seen him cry.

* * *

I walk up the front steps of my house, and fit my key into the front door. Closing it behind me, I decide to skip dinner, and head straight to bed. I throw my things on the ground, and strip when I get into my room, running straight for the shower.

Later, I curl up in my bed and do what I do best, think about Damon. He's not an eleven year old boy any more that's for sure. His whole body has changed, moved on from a skinny little boy to a strong, muscled man. He's gorgeous, any woman would agree, with that black hair, those bright blue eyes, that smile. He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen. God, I want him! Is it bad for me to want him as my own? As more than a best friend? I want to be his.

I roll over to my side and look out of the window that faces the Salvatore property, I can't physically see the house from here but I know exactly where it is. Damon lives by himself there, but he's never lacking for company, he has a woman over every night, sometimes even more than one. Thinking about him with anyone else, makes me want to run over there and punch his lights out, right before kissing him senseless.

My phone buzzes on my bedside table. _Damon_.

"Well, hello you." I said.

"'Lena?" He sounds a bit lost, like he doesn't know who I am.

"Damon, you okay?"

"Just a little…damnit…out of it. This goddamn door will not open!"

"What door?"

"My front door. I can't fit the …thing in the… hole." He's drunk.

"The key?

"Yeah, the k-key."

"How about you just come over here Damon? I'll meet you at the door okay?"

I sprint down the stairs and open the front door, looking to my right to try and find him in the night. I sit on the porch steps and try to contain the excitement I feel whenever I get to see Damon. I see him quite a lot, but the giddy feeling never really goes away. I see him stumbling through the trees, still dressed from work, trying to reach for me. When he finally does, he pats the side of my face with his hand and falls into me a little bit.

"Whoa there, big guy. Let's get you inside." I drag him into my room and he falls onto my bed. I take his shoes off, pull the covers overtop of his body and slide next to him. This is my guilty pleasure, being in the same bed with Damon. We've slept in the same bed plenty of times, from our childhood till now, and he thinks nothing of it. I'm his best friend, the closest person to him in the world. But it makes my heart speed up. Looking across the bed and seeing him, having him so close to me gives me butterflies. Waking up and seeing him in the morning makes me the happiest girl in the world.

"'Lena?" He mumbles.

"Yeah Damon?"

"Shirt"

"What?"

"Shirt. Get…it off"

I froze. He lifted his arms into the air like a child getting undressed, giving me that goofy smile that I love. I took a deep breath and reached over, finding the top button of his white suit shirt and unbuttoned it, before moving on to the next one. Soon, I realized that he had nothing on under it, and I could see and feel the smooth skin of his chest. As I unfastened the next button, my knuckle brushed his skin, making me gasp. _Suck it up Elena; you're only taking his shirt off. You've seen him shirtless thousands of times._ But I've never taken it off myself before, like I would if we were having sex_. Good God! Where did that come from?_ He's drunk; he doesn't even know what's going on right now. I finished all of the buttons and allowed myself to gape at him for a moment. All of his muscles were perfect. He looked like a Greek god. I let my eyes trail to the lower part of his stomach, where I could see that perfect V of muscle, leading down to his…

_Oh God. Okay. Focus_. I came to my next dilemma, how to get the shirt off of him. I pulled at his shoulders and brought his chest up to mine, snaking my hand around to hold his back. Pushing him closer to me, I pulled the shirt from his arms and threw it on the floor. But I let him stay where he was, close to me, his warm skin sending fire all over my body. I could feel his hot breath in the crook of my neck, and his back muscles under my fingers. This is what I wanted.

I lay him back down on the bed and covered him, before sliding in next to him again, keeping a safe distance. I gazed on his sleeping body, until I fell asleep myself, happy to have him next to me.

* * *

**AN: So there's the first chapter! Thoughts? Review! xxx**


	2. I've Been Awake For Days

When I wake up every morning, I wait for a minute to open my eyes, letting myself soak in the recesses of sleep for just a little while longer. When I woke up today, however, I was instantly aware of something warm in my bed. _Someone_ warm.

Oh God. Damon Salvatore is in my bed!

Instantly, the night before flew back to me. Damon coming in drunk, me having to strip him. Sadly, it was only his shirt and not his pants and his… _Jesus Christ Elena, he's your best friend!_

I wish I could stomp on all of my romantic feelings and just love Damon as a friend. But it's not really possible for me right now, considering that his amazingly hot and very naked chest is pressed up against my back. It doesn't matter that I have a t-shirt on, I can still feel the heat, and the movement of his muscles (God, those muscles!) while he breathes and shifts slightly.

I can tell by his breathing that he's still asleep, tucked into my backside. There is no better feeling than this in the whole wide world. Nothing can compare to him, to the way he moves, the way he breathes, the way he speaks. I'm an idiot. I know that he'll never want to be with me; after all, he's got that Katherine bitch hanging all over him. Katherine Peirce, I hate that woman and her perfect body. Damon's been seeing her for a few months now, and under her influence he's actually become monogamous, which is quite a mystery. Damon is every woman's dream, and he knows it. He has a bed buddy or two each night, and spends most of his spare time making sure he has backups to call at a moment's notice. But since Katherine's appearance, Damon has only slept with one woman, _her_.

Secretly, I took a bit of comfort in the fact that Damon sleeps around like a Grade-A manwhore. Deep down he's a one woman man. He doesn't act like it, but that's only because he's scared of being hurt. He told me once that he wants the whole shebang, the house, the wife, the kids, the dog, the soccer games, the family dinners. If I asked him now, he'd deny it, but I know that's his vision for the future, not the sluts, the beer, the bars, the one night stands and the loneliness. He wants to find the right girl and settle down with her, not bang everyone from here to Timbuktu.

Yeah, he puts on his bad boy front, but he's a real sweetheart once he lets you see past his walls. He's loyal, fierce, loving and brave, his incredible attractiveness helps too. He's scared to get hurt though, and that's why he doesn't let himself get attached. He loves me, and that's pretty much it.

I knew that he would never sleep with the same woman more than once, unless he really felt something for her, and that's why I've been obsessing over his 'relationship' with Katherine. He liked her, I knew that. But was it enough to jeopardize what we have? I've always came first to Damon, because he let me in a long time ago, and I refused to get out.

He loves me like he would love a sister, fiercely protective and caring. He doesn't look at me the way I want him to, with love and longing and passion in those bright blue eyes. But I'm selfish; I'll take what I can get. If all I get from Damon is friendship for the rest of eternity, then I will be his friend, even though I'll never be happy. But now that he's been seeing Katherine, I'm worried that I'll really lose my shot. When he was fucking everything with a vagina, at least I knew his heart was safe, locked away from grabby plastic press-on nails. I knew I was still the closest to him.

With a grunt, Damon pulls away from my back, and the instant loss of warmth physically hurts my heart. Thinking that he's awake, I turn onto my back, only to find him sprawled on his, still sound asleep. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, nothing plaguing his mind, lost in his dreams. God, I am completely in love with this man. He's the reason I'm still here, the reason I breathe. The reason I've never had sex.

* * *

I grew up believing in true love and in middle school, I promised myself to lose my virginity to someone that I was in love with, envisioning a high school boyfriend. But I've only ever been in love with one boy, one man that has never felt the same way. Trust me, I tried.

During senior year, I decided to give it up to my "boyfriend" at the time, Matt Donovan. He was cute, in a boyish sort of way, and even though I had no feelings for him, I decided it was high time that I forget about true love and just lose my V-card. But his mouth on mine felt wrong, his tongue was pushy and his hands were sweaty. When he slipped my shirt off, and touched my breasts through my bra, his hands didn't fit me. When he tried to push my jeans down my legs, I felt invaded. Although I could tell that he was aroused, I wasn't. I didn't feel any different. I didn't want him, I didn't love him, I didn't need him. All his whispers in my ear meant nothing. But I wanted to get it over with, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I pretended that the hands touching me were Damon's hands, the mouth kissing me was Damon's mouth. I closed my eyes and saw his face above me, and pretended his beautiful blue irises were staring into mine. When Damon's mouth traveled down my throat to my collarbone, I drew a sharp intake of breath; I could already feel myself throbbing to be with him, my most intimate parts wanting him. _So this is what it should feel like! _Damon's hands danced over my thighs, and I grabbed the silky black hair on his head, pulling him up for a bruising kiss. We were fire, and I mumbled his name into his mouth, "Damon."

Damon ripped himself away at that point, and I opened my eyes, realizing that Matt had returned. His weight was too heavy on top of me. His hands were clammy against my ribcage.

"You little bitch! I thought you wanted _me_!"

I tried to salvage any piece of my dignity. "I do!"

"You little fuck!" he yelled as he moved off of me, and tried to find his clothes. "I thought the night might go like this, I've heard how much of a frigid little bitch you are. So I made sure Vicki was all dolled up for me to pleasurably fuck after I had you. Tyler told me that virgins were the tightest, and since you wouldn't put out, I guess I'll have to wait for the next one." He slammed the door of the cheap motel room, and I collapsed back against the bed and sobbed. He had told me that he wanted to be my first _because he loved me. _Not because he wanted another notch in the bed post. And yeah, I didn't love him, but I liked him a bit. He even got us a motel room, and lit some candles around it. I can't believe I fell for that. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _ I picked up the phone and pressed number two on my speed dial.

"'Lena?"

"Damon? Can you come get me?" I asked, my voice shaking. That's when I heard a whiny female voice in the background shriek, "Damon, where are you going?"

"To get my girl", he yelled into the room. That's me, Damon's girl. He still calls me that and my heart races every time.

"Where are you?" he asks into the receiver.

"At the Motel 6."

"Elena, what the fuck are you doing at a motel in the middle of the night?"

I really broke down then, remembering what I'd almost done. "Please just come get me. I need you." I squeezed out through sobs.

"What room number?" he asked.

"Four."

"Okay, I'll be there in five minutes. Will you be okay till then?"

"Yeah, I just need you."

When he finally arrived, he ran to the bed and scooped my half naked, crying body into his arms. He carried me to his Camaro in the dark and wrapped his leather jacket around me to keep warm. Once I was in the car, with his smell all around me, I felt safe again, and I was finally able to calm down a bit, letting my sobs turn into sniffles.

He reached out and grabbed my hand, rubbing soothing circles on my skin while he drove us back home. My body responded instantly, feeling electric shocks wherever his fingers touched my flesh. "What happened, 'Lena?"

"I was with Matt…"

He gripped my hand tighter and slammed the car to a stop in the middle of the road. "'Lena, if he touched you, I'll fucking kill him!"

"No, no, I started it. I was going to sleep with him, but then everything felt so wrong, and…" I paused, not wanting to reveal the truth. _Yeah, Damon, he left because I was envisioning having hot sex with you when he touched me. _That would work out well. "…I pushed him off. He yelled at me and then he left."

He started the car again, and continued to drive, staying completely quiet. After a few moments, I begged him to say something.

"You were going to give it up to Matt? Matt Donavan? Quarterback douche and all around tool? I know you don't love him." He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly with his left hand that his knuckles were turning white. "'Lena, I need you to promise me that you won't do it unless the guy's the one. You're too special for just anyone to have."

I held his hand a little bit tighter, relishing the intimacy. "I promise."

* * *

Back in my bed, I continued to stare at the man next to me. This was the one time I could openly stare and not get caught. I traced his face, his arms, his chest with my eyes, getting lost in him. I was attempting to memorize the muscles in his stomach when I heard a rumbling voice, "You know, it's not polite to stare."

I slid my brown eyes up to meet his beautiful blue ones and smirked at him, "You know I just can't get enough."

He smiled and rolled his eyes, before wincing; "My head hurts."

I reached over to the nightstand and fished for the Ibuprofen I kept handy for situations such as these. I threw the bottle at him. "If you want something to wash it down, you're going to have to get it yourself, I'm quite comfy."

He laughed, "You'll be the death of me, woman. It's a good thing I've learned to go dry." He threw three capsules in his mouth and swallowed before slumping back down on the pillows.

"So what happened last night? I haven't seen you that drunk in a while."

He rolled on his side to face me, "I don't really know what came over me. I went over to Katherine's apartment to see her after work, and she was naked with some other guy. I was so mad that I just left and found friends in a few bottles of bourbon.

"So you were jealous?" I asked, really hoping that he was angry because he stubbed his toe or something.

"No! Damon Salvatore does _not_ get jealous. I could care less. She can do whatever she wants, we're not together."

Damn it. He was jealous.

"You walked in on her with someone else and you got angry enough to drink it off. I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure that's jealousy."

His face softened for a minute. "Okay, maybe it was."

I turned to face him and we stared at each other for a while.

"I really like her, 'Lena. She's fun and sexy and…", he searched for a word, "…hot. That pathetic excuse of a man shouldn't get to enjoy her."

My heart broke at his words. He really does like her, or he thinks he does.

"Anyway, do you mind if I take a shower here? I'm kind of gross."

I want to tell him that he looks perfect and gorgeous. Instead, I say, "Yeah, that's fine."

He leans over, and for second, I think he might be coming to kiss me. But instead, he pecks me on the cheek. "You're the best." He says before he slides out of my bed and heads to the shower.

I can't believe that he can see anything in Katherine. Yeah, she may be hot, but she's a complete bitch with a heinous personality. Well, after she dumps him, I'll still be here. He's in _my_ shower, not hers. He's in my shower. Naked and wet.

_God, I am so screwed._

* * *

**AN: There we go guys, Chapter 2. I know I'm going heavy on the memories and such, but we're getting to the good stuff. Review? xxx**


	3. You're All That I've Waited For

**AN: I forgot to mention earlier, the chapter titles are taken from song lyrics. I'll mention each song in my author's note in the bottom from now on. For Chapter One: Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine and for Chapter Two: Sun - Daphne Loves Derby**

* * *

I was smiling as I walked into work that morning. Today was a new day, bringing a new Elena. After Damon left for work, I poured myself some coffee and thought over my life. I had a good paying job that I hated, lots of acquaintances, no good girl friends, and a best friend that I was completely and utterly in love with. Not looking so good. I need a plan, a good one. I need real friends, and I need to have Damon all to myself.

Stepping onto Klaus's private floor from the elevator, I caught sight of a bright blonde head facing the back of the receptionist's desk. Suddenly the head bent down, looking for something on the floor. I walked to the desk and waited for a moment, hoping that the girl would hear my heels clacking on the hardwood floor. Obviously, she didn't. The girl kept her head down and hummed one of those heinous songs that played on pop radio stations. She sat up quickly with a file in her hands, and took a double take when she saw me standing on the other side of the desk.

I stretched out my hand. "Hi, I'm..."

"Elena Gilbert, I know!" she interrupted. She ran around and gave me a strong hug. I was a bit taken aback, but I returned the hug just as warmly. Giving random strangers hugs is something that New Elena would do, I decided. The girl pulled back. "You're Klaus's P.A."

She stretched out her hand, "Caroline Forbes. I'm filling in while your other receptionist is on maternity leave." She smiled brightly, "I have a feeling that we're going to be great friends!"

Caroline was a little forward, but I loved her boldness, who else would assume friendship after exchanging a few words?

"I hope we will!" I said, returning her smile. "But for now, I have to go be a personal slave." I joked, heading to the door that contained my office, and consequentially Klaus's.

I turned back to Caroline, who looked a little sad to lose soeone to talk to, "But hey, do you want to grab some lunch during your break?"

Her smile returned instantly, lighting up her sunny face. The girl was obviously a people person. "Of course! I'm actually glad you asked", she whispered conspiratorially. "I don't know much about this area."

"Well. We can change that!" I said, heading through the door.

"Thanks Elena! You're a great friend!" Caroline called.

A _friend_, that's nice. I haven't had a friend besides Damon in ages, since high school at least. And those girls weren't even friends, more like acquaintances. Most girls who have guy best friends need girl friends to do nails and ogle boys with, but not me. Damon was all that I needed, _is all that I need. _

New Elena will have tons of friends, guys and girls. She'll spend her nights having fun, rather than watching Grey's Anatomy reruns. I smiled to myself, quite content with my new decision. My mother always told me that when life gets monotonous, it's time to make a change. And my life _was_ getting boring, work, food and sleep and lusting after Damon.

I walked through the double glass doors inscribed with "Klaus Mikelson, C.E.O.", and headed straight to my desk. The one thing that made work bearable was the office that I worked in. Two of the walls were made of windows and the white furniture made the room light and airy. Also, the walls of Klaus's office were soundproof, so I didn't have to hear his drunken sexual encounters a few feet away. I settled into my desk and fired up my computer, straightening up my space as I did so.

As soon as the network was accessible, I reviewed all of Klaus's engagements and commitments. He had a meeting today with the three other leading accounting firms in the country, Salvatore, Perretti & Brooks, and Lockwood. Yes_, Salvatore_, as in Damon Salvatore. He worked as one of the Vice President of the company, under the C.E.O., his father, Giuseppe. Damon hated his job, but he stuck with it, hoping that he could do something to make his father proud.

The four companies were rivals in the business sense, all competing for the celebrities and stock holders in the country, but they liked to keep up appearances, throwing seasonal fundraisers for local and national charities, held mainly to stay close to their enemies, each other. These top companies took turns throwing these events and put up a united front to help whichever cause they had chosen. The next party would be held in a month, hosted by Klaus, so naturally, I had to do all the work. I had already organized the venue, the catering and the decorations, and had sent out the invitations months ago. The only immediate thing left to do was to call the C.E.O.s and their immediate staff to invite them. They all knew about it, they just expected a formal call, hopefully from a young female. Picking up the phone, I decided to get the worst over first. I dialed the number of Giuseppe's office and let the phone ring, taking deep breaths.

I heard the tell-tale click, "Hello, you've reached the office of Giuseppe Salvatore, C.E.O. of Salvatore Accounting. How may I help you today?" A young woman answered.

"Hello, this is Elena Gilbert with The Mikelson Company. I have a personal invitation for Giuseppe Salvatore?"

"Oh, for the ball? I'll put you through." I listened as the line clicked over, and waited for the beast to pick up the phone.

"Giuseppe Salvatore." He grumbled. I could see him, sitting at his desk, all grey hair and designer suits.

"Hello Mr. Salvatore, this is Elena Gilbert." I said, in the nicest and most professional voice I could muster.

"Oh. It's you." He said with disdain. I could kill that man, he could speak however he wanted to me, but he used the same voice with his own son, treating him like a piece of trash, and that made me mad.

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore. It's me, Elena. It would be my pleasure to inform you…"

"Are you sleeping with my son?" he interrupted brashly. _What?_ Before I had the chance to answer, he spoke again. "Because I want you to stop. My son needs to grow up and become a man, and associating with the likes of you is just bringing him down. He needs a real woman, not a childhood tramp. You are not the woman for him, he deserves much better." _What?_

Okay, first of all, I was a little flattered that he would think I was sleeping with Damon. _I wish I was sleeping with Damon._ But to say that Damon is not enough? That is absolutely not true. Damon is the best man that I have ever met. He is sweet and kind, caring, sexy, protective, hardworking, brilliant, tender, and masculine and anything else that a woman could wish for. I felt a tear well in my eye as I listened to Giuseppe put down not only me, but his own son as well. Giuseppe has hated me since I was a little girl, always treating me the same as Damon, like garbage. It was mere coincidence that I got a job at The Mikelson Company, Giuseppe's main rival. I took another breath. I just need to finish this call before I dissolve in tears.

"Mr. Salvatore, Mr. Mikelson would like to invite you and your immediate family to attend a fundraiser held for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, this Saturday at 8 o'clock PM."

When he didn't say anything, I asked, "Will Mr. Mikelson be able to expect you there?"

I sincerely hoped that he couldn't hear the tears in my voice. But then I resolved myself again, New Elena isn't afraid of anybody, let alone a grumpy old man with a habit of throwing out insults.

Giuseppe hadn't said anything. "Mr. Salvatore?" I asked.

"Yes, Yes. I'll be there."

"Very good," I said, with a new confidence in my voice. I am above the great Giuseppe Salvatore. "I will inform Mr. Mikelson of your attendance."

"Well thank you very much, _Elena_." He sneered, drawing my name out. "And stay away from Damon. You're the whore that ruined his potential in the first place; try not to make him even more of a failure than he is now."

This was my cue to ignore his words, and hang up. But that's what Old Elena would do. New Elena on the other hand…

I spoke surely and clearly into the phone. "On the contrary, _Giuseppe_," I said, imitating the way he'd said my name earlier, "I will _not_ stay away from Damon. He is my closest friend, and a few vulgar words from his father will not send me running scared with my tail between my legs. Also, I don't appreciate being called a "whore" and a "tramp", nor do I appreciate the assumption that I am sleeping with your son. Damon and I have a bond that surpasses a quick fuck. I will tell Mr. Mikelson of your attendance, please, try your best not to squash the dreams of a small child, as you are prone to do, today. Thank you."

I threw the phone back on the hook and started to laugh in relief. I laughed so hard, I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. _I just told off Giuseppe Salvatore! I said the word fuck! _

I couldn't keep my laughter in; it was taking over and shaking every inch of my body. I loved being New Elena! This was me! I felt so free! After years of letting Damon's dad trample over us both, I had finally stood up for myself. I kept laughing, and I didn't even know why. I heard a knock at the door. I attempted to compose myself and let out a quick, "Come in," before chortling again.

A wide eyed Caroline entered the room, "You okay in here Elena?"

At the look on her face, I burst into laughter all over again. She must have heard me and thought someone was dying in here. The poor girl, on her first day too. I laughed even harder at the thought of Caroline walking in to the sight of me attempting to murder a baby bunny with a spork. _Where did that even come from? A baby bunny? A spork?_ Oh, God. I'm really losing it! I sat up straight in my office chair, smoothed my hair and my shirt, and ran my fingers under my eyes making sure my makeup hadn't smeared.

"Hello Caroline. Did you need something?" I asked with a laughing smile.

She laughed herself. "What's got you so worked up in here?"

"Nothing really. I think I just needed a laugh." I smiled again. I realized that I haven't smiled so much in ages. My smiles are usually reserved for Damon, and not some blonde, bubbly receptionist I had known for less than an hour. I like being New Elena.

"Well, okay. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." She turned to leave, but I called her back.

"Wait, Caroline. Would you mind calling Lockwood Inc. and inviting their C.E.O. to the seasonal fundraiser? I've gotten a little behind; I have to run a million errands for Klaus before lunch. Do you have time?"

"Of course," she answered with a smile. _God, her smiling must be rubbing off on me! _"As long as were still on for lunch?"

"Definitely, I'll meet you at your desk at eleven?"

"Perfect!" She left my office, letting the door swing behind her.

When I make these calls, I always like to save the best for last. I abandoned Salvatore Accounting for a while, and called Perretti & Brooks, inviting both C.E.O.s and their families to the fundraiser. Since Caroline was taking care of the Lockwoods, I returned to the Giuseppe's company. I called James Vance, the man that shared Damon's title of Vice President. After inviting him, I finally got to call Damon. I used his private office line, instead of going through his receptionist.

"Damon Salvatore." He answered.

"Well, hello Mistah Salvahtore. How may I _help_ you today?" I asked cheekily.

"My dear, there are many ways you can help me. I have been feeling rather lonely…my body is just _begging_ for the touch of a woman…" He answered, staying with our little game.

I started laughing, "Hey Damon."

"Hey you, why are you calling at this fine hour?

"I'm actually calling for work." I cleared my throat theatrically. "Mr. Damon Salvatore, Mr. Mikelson would like to cordially invite you to a fundraiser he is holding this Saturday night at 8 PM sharp," I said with all the dramatics I could muster.

Sounding like the perfect southern gentlemen, he responded immediately, laying the accent on thickly. "Why, lil' old me? I would be honored!"

"Well now that that's settled. I have a story to tell you."

"Ooh, I love stories!" He said, laughing. All this laughing and smiling is going to be the death of me.

"Okay. So I had to call your dad to invite him to this fundraiser as well. And after I ask him, he acts just like himself, he asked if we were sleeping together, and when I said no, he told me to stay away from you, because I'm the one ruining you. Then he called you a failure, and me a whore and a tramp. I was just so…"

He interrupted me. "Wait! What did he call you?"

He was already in protective mode, trying save me from the wrath of his father.

"Damon it's okay. It's okay!" I said, trying to placate him. "Anyway, I was so fed up with him, so I let him have it! I told him that he couldn't scare me away from you, because we were best friends and that I didn't appreciate him calling me names. And then I hung up!" I said triumphantly. I was extremely proud of my bravery, and Damon was too.

"You did _what_? Are you serious? Oh my god! Lena! You stood up to my father! I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed.

I giggled. "Me too, I was just going to hang up and let him win, but then I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine."

"You're the best Lena. This deserves a celebration. Are you doing anything tonight?"

I knew my answer immediately. One, it's not like I ever had plans and two, if I did, I would drop them the second Damon called.

"Nope, I'm free." I said, hoping I'd made it sound like I had to think about it.

"Good, I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something nice." I could hear him smiling into the phone as he spoke.

* * *

After hanging up the phone, I ran errands for Klaus, picking up his dry cleaning, and checking on some last minute fundraiser things. It was only ten thirty as I made my way back to the office, and I'd already had one of the best days of my life. I'd decided to change my ways, made a new friend, stood up to a bully, and made a date with Damon. Well not a date-date, just like a friend-date. You know what I mean. I blew back into the office.

"I'll be ready in two minutes Caroline!" I yelled, as I breezed back into my office. I closed the door and whirled around, surprised to find Klaus sitting at my desk. I put my bags down and approached my desk. I don't have the best relationship with my boss, and honestly, he kind of scares me a little bit.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes, Elena, I'm fine." He rolled his eyes. "I actually just wanted to see what you thought of the new receptionist girl."

"She seems really nice. I'm going to show her around during lunch in a few minutes."

"Could you do your boss a favor and drop in some good words about me?" He asked, toying with a stack of papers on my desk, and moving them all out of order.

"Klaus, I'm sick of doing all of your dirty work for you. If you want her, you can talk to her yourself." I advanced towards my desk.

He got up, "Oh, Elena. I'll have Caroline whether she wants it or not. But a few words from a friend about my skills in bed could only help." He said as he walked back to his office doors.

"It's not like I would know about those skills Klaus." I said rolling my eyes.

"Don't worry my sweet, you will."

As he closed the door behind him, I shivered involuntarily. _You will?_ What was that supposed to mean? And the way he talked about Caroline. _Whether she wants it or not?_ Klaus has a creepy side to him, but I've never been the one it's been directed too.

* * *

I took Caroline to a small Greek restaurant near our office. I came here frequently on my lunch breaks alone. I'd made friends with most of the staff, especially one of the waiters that was always on duty when I came in. His name was Liam, and he was cute, but he was nothing compared to Damon. I led Caroline to my normal table, and let Liam take our drinks.

Caroline squealed the second he left. "Oh my god! He totally likes you Elena!"

"Who, Liam? No way, Caroline, were just friends." I shrugged it off, and looked at my menu, even though I order the same exact thing every time I came here.

"Well, maybe that's how you feel. But he looks at you like you're a goddess or something!"

"You're reading too far into it Care! Anyway, how's your first day going?" I liked how easy I felt with Caroline, we were already on nickname basis for gods sakes! Well, I am for her. She tried to call me 'Lena, and I stopped her right away. Only Damon can call me that.

We chatted about our days, and she told me about the call she made to Tyler Lockwood, the C.E.O. of Lockwood Incorporated. She gushed about how she actually got to talk to him, after she had idolized him for years. I kept up with her excited conversation, even joining in. I liked this girl, she was exuberant and loud, and probably certifiably crazy, but she had a heart of gold, and she seemed to know a ton about men. After she finished fangirling about Tyler Lockwood, she asked me _the_ question. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I averted my eyes, "No I don't."

"But you have somebody in mind, don't you?" She asked. _What? _I stayed silent.

"Tell me about him." Caroline took another bite of her salad waiting for me to answer her. I'd never really had a relationship like this before, a friendship. Old Elena would hole up inside rather than tell anyone about her unrequited love, but New Elena takes chances. I took a deep breath, I'd never told anyone about Damon before. Damon was the closest friend I had. I barely had any other friends, just people I said hey to in the hallway. It might be nice to get all my feelings out in the open. I took another breath.

"Okay, okay. I do have somebody in mind."

Caroline smiled at my confession. "So, what's his name?"

"Damon."

Caroline brightened even more. "So tell me the whole story!"

"I've known him my whole life; we grew up next to each other. We were best friends and inseparable. The second I started seeing that boys didn't have cooties, I fell in love with him and I've been in love with him ever since. I just…I don't even have any words to describe how I feel!" It felt so freeing, talking about him, how I secretly felt about him. So I just kept going. "The problem is that were still best friends. And he knows nothing; he just thinks that that's all we are. But here I am, wanting to jump his bones! He's so perfect! He's sweet, and amazing, and so goddamn sexy. Whenever he touches me, my skin explodes. Honestly, all I want is to marry him, become Mrs. Salvatore and have his babies."

Caroline choked on her water. "Wait! Wait! Salvatore? As in Damon Salvatore? Vice Pres. at Salvatore Accounting? The sexiest man to ever walk the face of the earth? That Damon Salvatore?" She was beaming now.

"Caroline! Shh!" I stage whispered, trying to quiet her down.

She conspiratorially whispered to me. "He doesn't know?"

"Of course not! You said so yourself! He's gorgeous and I'm just…me."

"Elena, are you serious? I've known you for half a day and I already know how great you are. Not to mention beautiful! Get yourself together girl, you could totally get this man to fall in love with you!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Really."

"Well, I have a secret. We're going out tonight." At the look on Caroline's face, I clarified. "No, not like that. Just a best friends thing."

"Well what're you going to wear?" She asked.

"He said to wear something nice, so probably some dark jeans and a sweater…"

"Are you kidding me?" Caroline squealed. "You want him to fall in love with you right?"

"More than anything."

"Then you can't wear _jeans_!" she said, exasperated. "Do you have a Little Black Dress?"

"Yeah, I've got one."

Caroline was already in planning mode. "Well, wear that. What heels do you have? Any colored ones?"

"I have some that are light blue"

"Okay, good. You're going to knock him dead! You'll be so gorgeous; he won't be able to keep his hands off of you!"

"I hope so. Thanks for your help Care."

"Don't worry about it. After tonight we'll talk about the next step."

_The next step?_ I really liked this girl.

I had another errand to run for Klaus, so Caroline went back to work alone. It felt good to have someone to talk to, especially about Damon. I love being New Elena. I should stop calling myself that. I'm just Elena, but I've gotten better. Elena 2.0. I love the new me and the new me is going to take Caroline's advice. Damon will fall in love with me, and we'll live happily ever after like we were always supposed to. Hopefully.

* * *

**AN: So this is chapter three. I know there hasn't been much Delena yet, but that will change when they go on their celebration "date". Any ideas about where they should go etc.? I would love to hear them! Thanks for reading. Review? xxx**

**Song: Taking My Heart By Storm - Matthew McGinn**


	4. Everyone Just Wants to Fall in Love

**AN: I'm going to experiment with Damon's point of view in this chapter, hope it goes okay! Tell me what you think!**

* * *

I looked in the full length mirror attached to the back of my closet door. I'd followed Caroline's instructions to a par. I had on a black dress that ended mid-thigh showing enough skin to be sexy, but not enough to look like a complete slut. My turquoise pumps were on my feet and I'd added some gold earrings to complement my skin tone. I'm not bad with fashion, I look good at work every day, and I can look stylish when I want too. But looking nice when it comes to Damon is a completely different matter. I don't want to overdo it, or make it look like I'm trying too hard. I walk the fine line with him, I want to look irresistible, but he's used to me in normal clothes. Everything is way too complicated; it's just an outfit for God's sake!

I looked in the mirror one more time, smoothed my dress and reached for my clutch. It was six minutes to seven, four minutes to the appearance of Damon. Add that to the list of things I love about him, he's extremely punctual. I rushed downstairs, said goodbye to an empty house and locked the door, sitting on the porch swing while I waited. I was nervous. I'd been out with Damon millions of times. This celebration routine was normal for us. I'd worn dresses and heels out with him. Why is it so different now? Because this time, I've decided to embrace what I feel. Before, I'd try to look nice, in the _hopes_ that he would notice. But now, I've made a conscious change, I dressed up just for him; I dressed up so that he _would_ notice. No more demure Elena, no longer am I hanging back. Now I'm making my move.

He pulls up while I'm still lost in thought about how the night could go. I don't even notice his Camaro until he gets out and closes his door behind him, making me jump. _Here goes nothing._

I move off of the swing, and reach the steps. The second I'm fully visible, Damon gets a weird look on his face. He walks towards me and grabs my hand, kissing it and sending shocks all over my body. "You look nice."

_Nice? Nice?_ I did all this for him; I thought I looked a little better than _nice_. I was a little hurt, but I hid it.

"Thanks Damon." I said with a smile. He led me to the car and opened my door, closing it behind me when I was fully inside. Oh, and another reason to love him: he's a complete gentleman. Once he was in the car, he started back out of the long driveway. I asked him about his day.

"Oh, it was fine. Just ho-hum. And then I got this call from this girl, _who told me that she had told off my father!_ My day got much better after that." He said with a broad smile. In a much softer voice he added "I really can't believe you did that Lena. I've been terrified of him all of my life, and I know you have too. He's done nothing but hurt us, physically and emotionally. I'm just so proud of you." He reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go. "Okay, enough mushy-mushy, let's talk about something more manly, like getting laid!" I laughed.

"Fine, Damon." I narrowed my eyebrows in mock sternness. "Have you had sex today?"

He put on his innocent face, complete with the baby pout and the puppy dog eyes. "Why, yes ma'am. I have."

"God. Damon, when did you have time?" I laughed.

"You know Elena; it's not _hard_ for me to _do it fast_." He said waggling his eyebrows. I pretended to swoon against the back of my seat. Putting my southern belle voice into action, I fanned my face with my hand. "Oh, Mr. Salvatore, all that dirty talk is getting me _so_ hot and bothered."

He laughed at my antics, and I burst into giggles as well. This was where I belonged, in Damon's passenger seat, next to him, laughing with him. We fell into a comfortable silence, and I lost myself in my fantasies of the future. Where he could do anything as _fast _and as _hard_ as he liked.

* * *

**Damon**

We fell into silence after that, but a comfortable one, in no way awkward. I'm being a complete idiot, those jokes were awful, and I have much better arsenal. When I picked her up, she looked beautiful. That dress hugged all of her curves like a second skin, and her heels made her legs look even more perfect. She looked like a goddess and everything about her screamed to be thoroughly fucked.

I was so wrapped up in her, that when I realized it was time for my "you look …" cue, I'd forgotten all words. I said "nice."

What the hell was I thinking? She looked way more than nice, more along the lines of spectacular, stunning, perfect, amazing, or beautiful. I mean, I've seen Elena in dresses before, all the time in fact. But it's never hit me like this.

Of course she's beautiful. I've been around her for her whole life, trust me, I've noticed. She has the perfect body too. Wherever we go, guys eye her up and down hoping to take her home, she doesn't notice of course. She's way to kind; she'd just think they were being nice. But I'm a man, I know what goes through a guy's head when he sees a girl like Elena, and trust me, it's anything but nice. I mean her smile lights up a room, her hair begs to be touched, and those legs would be perfect wrapped around me and her… _Wait what? Wrapped around me? No. _Elena's is my best friend, I go to her for everything, and she is the one person that I care about in this world.

I sneak a glance at her out of the corner of my eye. She's gazing out of the window, lost in thought. And damn she looks good doing it. _Damon! Get it together man!_ This is not the first time you've seen her in a dress, and it won't be the last. She's not a piece of meat, she's an angel. Yeah, she's beautiful, but you've always known that. Katherine is nothing compared to her. _Katherine! _I'm with Katherine now, kind of. I haven't been sleeping with anyone but her, and the sex is great, today at my lunch break she popped in, and let's just say that there wasn't much eating going on. She's hot, but she isn't beautiful like Elena is. Elena is the one constant in my life, she's funny and sweet and helpful and loyal, while Kat is well…catty.

We're about five minutes to the restaurant, and I look at Elena, who's still lost in her own little world. I need to get her attention.

"Elena." I say softly. She doesn't move, so I repeat myself until she hears me. She looks startled as I jolt her out of her fantasy world. "We'll be there in a few minutes okay?"

"Sorry, must have lost myself for a minute there." She says, letting a smile break out on her face, making her even more beautiful. "Where are we going?"

* * *

**Elena**

I was in the middle of a hot dream, starring Damon of course, he was kissing me and mumbling my name, and I was taking his shirt off…and then I was in a car. Back in the car with Damon, who sadly, still had his shirt on.

"We'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

"Sorry, must have lost myself for a minute there." I give him an apologetic smile, really hoping I wasn't moaning his name or attempting to straddle him while he drove.

"Where are we going?"

A few minutes later, we pulled up to a fancy place called _Palazzo's_. Damon handed his keys to the valet, and opened the door for me. He walked up to the hostess, who immediately ogled him. She smiled her biggest smile, thrust her chest out, and pulled her hair behind her ear. She was a really pretty girl, probably much more attractive than me, but I needed to stake my territory.

I'd been blocked from her view by Damon's broad back, and now, I took a step toward Damon, showing her with my eyes that this man was mine. Her "please fuck me" smile disappeared instantly when she saw me standing next to him. He smiled at her, seemingly oblivious to our interaction, and said, "The name's Salvatore."

God, he was perfect. Both me, and the hostess almost fainted on the spot. He made the most mundane things sexy. His words seemed to charm her back into her former personality, all perky boobs and cutesy smile. "Right this way, _Mr. Salvatore_." She said, almost purring his name.

The whore led us to our table, giving Damon a show at her ass the whole way there. But Damon was leading me before him, his hand on the small of my back, sending warmth everywhere. He removed his hand once we reached the table, and I felt cold instantly. God, I am such a cliché when it comes to Damon and the things he does to me. He scooted in front of me, and pulled my chair out, allowing me to sit down, before taking his own seat across from me. He caught my eyes and lingered there for a moment. I drank him in, letting myself get lost in the ocean he held there. The hostess completely ignored me and turned her attention to Damon, bending a little to show more of her cleavage, "You're waiter will be with you shortly."

Damon glanced at her name tag for the first time, also placed strategically on her boobs. God, could this girl be any more of a whore?

"Thank you, _Shelley_." He said, lingering on her chest a tad longer than necessary. Shelley smiled triumphantly.

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Salvatore." She said before giving another ass show as she left. I almost growled at her retreating form, how dare she make a move on my man? That bitch.

I turned back to Damon, only to find him staring at me. The second I turned back to him, he shifted his eyes around the restaurant. It was a really nice place, Italian and softly decorated. The place might be nice, but Damon was much nicer.

Again, we sat in silence, but the silence was still comfortable, it always had been, since we were little. "So how'd you find this place?" I asked, after Damon had ordered us some wine.

"Peter Palazzo is a personal friend of mine." He smirked.

I fit it together. "Peter Palazzo…_Palazzo's_. So he's the owner?"

"Nope, the chef."

I waited for him to divulge more, but he left me hanging.

"Damon…" I insisted.

He looked up at me innocently. "What?"

I kicked him under the table with my foot. I would've slapped him over the head, but I didn't want to cause a scene. I hate it when he's cheeky. Okay, I love it when he's cheeky.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon! How do you know this guy?"

"Oh, so that's what you wanted to know." He said, feigning innocence. _Idiot_. _Damn sexy idiot._ "He was a close friend of my mom's when she was still alive, almost like her father figure. I met him a few months ago, he recognized me, and we've been talking about her and cooking. He says I should learn about my heritage…through food."

I was a little hurt he hadn't told me about this guy. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I was a little worried to be honest; it almost seemed too good to be true. My dad never wants to talk about her, and I randomly run into this guy from her past who wants to hang out with me, and tell me stories about her. It's like having a grandfather."

"That's crazy that you two found each other. So, what kind of stuff has he told you?"

Damon launched into some of the stories Palazzo had told him, mostly funny lighthearted ones from her childhood. I laughed along with him. He had a sparkle in his eyes that I almost never got to see. We ordered our courses, and stayed like that throughout much of the meal, laughing over old stories, reminiscing about our pasts, and telling funny stories from our work weeks. The laughter died down, and we sat in contented silence.

My meal was perfection, some kind of shrimp pasta, I didn't know exactly what it was, and Damon ordered it for me, insisting that he needed to try out his new culinary skills. I was full, and happy. Spending time with Damon made me almost giddy. I loved being with him. But just like that, our silence was off. It went to awkward in a second. I knew him that well.

"What's up?" I asked, taking another sip of my wine.

"Katherine." I wanted to throw my fork at him. Why is he even thinking about that bitch? Okay. I've been very volatile today. Need to take a breath.

He needs to think that nothing is wrong. "What about her?"

He paused for a minute, almost like he was evaluating me. "I like her, as more than just a bed buddy. I think I want to date her." He looked down at his plate.

Let's ignore the multiple knives stabbing and twisting in my heart for one moment. He wanted to _date_ Katherine Pierce? _Date_ her?

* * *

**Damon**

Okay, it might have been a little early to spring that on her. She looked a little pale. And she had a right to be, when was the last time I had wanted to date anyone? Oh right. Never!

I had thought about dating Katherine before tonight, and I guess I kind of wanted to. She was fun and sexy and I was drawn to her, like a magnet. But the main reason I blurted that out was to reassure myself.

Everything has been really off all night; I can't take my eyes off of Elena, it like she's changed somehow. My heart has always belonged to Elena, not like that, just as a friend. She was the only person I truly cared about, the only person that really knew me. So she's always been in my head and my heart, just not like _that._

But tonight, someone must have slipped me something, because I want her like that. I want to take her home after this, and take that pretty little dress off and make love to her. _Whoa. Hold up._

My mind is also running crazy, coming up with scenarios in my head. I've never even seen her like this before. I've always known she was beautiful, but not in an appealing way. I've never wanted her like this. I told her I wanted to date Katherine so I could hear myself say it. I do! I want to date Katherine. There. Said it.

* * *

**Elena**

I felt the knife twist in my chest the second he said the words "date" and "Katherine" in the same sentence. I tried to ignore it. "You want to date her?"

He gives me a look that I can't really describe. "That's what I said."

I took a deep breath, trying not to cry, while the man I'm in love with tells me about someone else. I need to remember the most important thing. Damon needs to be happy. "I can't say that I agree Damon. But if she makes you happy, than she makes me happy."

An instant grin grew on his face, "Really?"

I tried to copy his smile, "Really."

We spent the rest of the night continuing with our previous conversation, not mentioning Katherine again. He drove me home, and even walked me to my door. I found my key, before Damon took my hand again.

"I screwed up a little today, didn't use the right words. You don't look fine, you look beautiful." I gasped a little bit, and inside, I swooned.

I moved to open the door before he spoke again, "You know I could always come in and keep you…company." He said suggestively with a little smirk. I wanted nothing more than for him to come in, but I didn't know how long I could hold in my breakdown.

So I just laughed. "You have work in the morning you idiot." I gave him a smile. "Thanks for dinner Damon, I had a great time."

"Me too." He pulled me into a hug before I could blink. I loved when he hugged me, every inch of him pressed to me, and every inch of me pressed to him. Every inch of me completely on fire.

"Love ya, Lena." He said when he pulled away and moved to get into his car.

"You too!" I called as he shut his door and left. That's what we say. _Love ya. _It makes my heart hurt. I closed the door behind me, and leaned against it. I looked around the gigantic empty house and thought about how much I wanted it filled. I thought of Damon, making a home with Katherine. I let out a sob and crumpled to the floor.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! I love all of you! What'd you think of the dinner/Damon POV?**

** Song: Weapons - The Daylights**


	5. I Break Down As You Walk Away

**AN: Here we go!**

* * *

**Damon**

After my night with Elena, I drove straight to the freeway, instead of taking the immediate right turn that led down my driveway. I needed to think, and driving gave me that. The highway was empty when I turned off the exit, so I made an illegal turn in the middle of the seven lanes, heading away from the city. The lights behind me faded into the distance, leaving me alone with the road and my low-beams. Elena. I hadn't been able to get her out of my head since I left, hell, since I picked her up. That body begged to be touched, those lips begged to be kissed and that… _Whoa, Damon! She's your best friend!_

I was a little disappointed that she didn't fight me over the whole dating issue though. Elena hates Katherine, I know she does. I can see straight through her lies, and those little smiles and nice words are pure bullshit. So when she didn't argue, or at least express her disapproval about my taking the next step with Katherine, I was surprised. I at least expected a sarcastic "whatever makes you happy, Damon." But again, Elena seemed different, not in the looks, she'd always had those, but in the personality, the confidence. She was radiating all night long, if I looked hard enough, I'm sure I could've seen a visible aura.

Is that where this sudden change came from for me? Was it the confidence that turned me on so much? Katherine oozed confidence, but it was different. Katherine's confidence was more due to the fact that she understands she can use her body to get what she wants, making her haughty and proud. On the other hand, Elena's confidence is new and refreshing, like she's finally become sure of herself.

Speaking of Katherine, I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. I was supposed to be with her now after all.

She picked up after the fourth ring. "Damon," she purred. "Miss me already?"

I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn't see. "You wanna come over tonight?"

"Sure, I'll be over in ten." She said, and hung up. That was another thing about Katherine, she didn't like conversation. Scratch that. She likes talking, just only when she can talk about herself.

I pulled up to my house more than thirty minutes later, finding the door already unlocked. Closing it behind me, I shrugged off my suit jacket and threw it on the banister, before heading to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. Just as I opened the fridge, I heard a female voice call my name. I turned to find Katherine dressed in nothing but burgundy lingerie. I was glad I hadn't grabbed anything, because I would've dropped it at the sight of her. Damn, she was sexy.

She began to stalk towards me, "You know Damon, you weren't here and I got bored." In the light of the refrigerator, she ran her fingers around my neck and down the collar of my dress shirt. "My clothes must've just disappeared somewhere."

With a growl, I grabbed her and pulled her into me, while she ripped my shirt off. I kissed her hungrily and she kissed me back, shoving her tongue in my mouth, while she got rid of my pants with practiced ease. Everything was hard, and rough, and fast, like it always was. I backed her into the counter, and lifted her up, guiding her legs around my waist, letting my hardness press into her core. She moaned into my mouth, and unhooked her bra, pressing her bare chest into mine. Something felt off right away, I pulled back and stared at her breasts. They looked much bigger, and had lost all of their warmth.

She noticed my staring. "I went up two cup sizes," she stated simply, taking both of my hands off of her waist and placing them on top of her breasts. They felt wrong, but when her hand cupped me, I wasn't really concerned anymore. I ripped her underwear off, and massaged her clit while she rid me of my own boxers and stroked my hard on. We both came undone minutes later and I rested my weight on the counter until I could trust my own feet again. In the light of the fridge, I found my clothes, while she went to find hers. That was how it was with Katherine, meet up, have the best sex of your life, and leave again. But, then again, it was great sex.

She returned with her clothes in place, and gave me a hurried kiss on the lips before running to the door. I stopped her, before she could make it more than five feet. "You wanna go out tomorrow?"

Her mouth dropped for a second, but she had her mask back before I could blink.

She gave me a shrug, "Sure." And with that, she was out the door.

_Sure?_ Katherine wasn't much of a "single man" type. In and out was more of her style. But all motivations aside, I was going out with Katherine Peirce. Damn good accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

* * *

When I slid into bed later that night, I positioned my body so it faced out of the left window, the one that looked on Elena's house. I'd spent enough nights in her bedroom to know that she couldn't see my house from hers, too many trees in the way. However, mine was on a slight incline, while hers rested in a dip, letting me see straight onto her house, and more importantly, right into her window. I don't like falling asleep until Elena's bedroom light is off, signaling her sleep. I need to make sure she's okay before I even think about slumber for myself. She's the most important thing in my life, she really is. Sometimes I suck at showing it, but I think she knows how much I care about her.

She's my best friend, almost my sister, except brothers do _not_ think about sisters the way I've been thinking about Elena all night. Elena in bed with me, Elena waking up in the morning, Elena in the shower, going out with Elena for lunch, kissing Elena, Elena in bed with me, Elena naked, Elena in bed with me…

Okay, I need to stop! Thinking about Elena like that is defiling to her image. She hasn't had sex, ever. _(I know!) _I'm honestly surprised. She's a beautiful girl, and would have no problem getting it if she wanted too. Guys are all over her, and I want to kill each and every one of them. They're all cat calls and wolf whistles and lingering stares.

* * *

After her senior graduation, we drove down to Florida, our own little road trip. We'd needed a break from driving at around 2AM and stopped at a trucking station on the Maryland border, to get some snacks. The men in there hadn't seen a girl in a while, let alone one as gorgeous as Elena. They did what most men do, stared a little too long, but one of them, went a little too far. He was big and muscular, with tattoos everywhere. He stared like the rest of them, but then he had the audacity to try and _talk _to her.

"Hey, sweet cheeks. What's a beauty like you doing up here alone?"

I growled a bit, "She is _not _alone."

Elena laid her hand on my arm. "Damon…" she warned, "it's fine."

"It's _not_ fine."

The man hopped off of his stool. "Don't tell her what's fine and what's not, boy." He walked towards me a bit, and I shifted in front of Elena. "I'll tell you what's fine, though. That ass of hers, and those tits. I saw both of 'em and I wanted to…"

But he didn't get a chance to tell us about what he wanted, because my fist connected with his face. I must've hit him hard, because he fell to the floor clutching his face and howling. Elena grabbed my hand and towed me out of the store and into the car. We drove on the highway for a while, but she started to beg me to pull over when she saw how angry I was. My knuckles were white on the wheel, and I was shaking. No one gets to talk to Elena like that; she is too perfect for the minds of those bastards. I wanted to run back there and kill that man, and pummel all of his cronies too, then I would go after any guy that ever looked at her for a second too long. I would take her far away and make sure no one hurt her. Elena was mine.

Elena is mine. And none of those idiots are taking her virginity. She told me herself that she's waiting for the right person, for the man that she truly loves. My first time was fumbling and awkward, and the girl was way older and much more experienced than me. Elena's first time can't be anything other than perfect; it has to blow her mind. Being with Elena won't even be fucking, it'll be making love. It will be beautiful, just like her. I'll take her up so high that the… _Wait_.

When did Elena's mystery man become me? Holy fuck. I'm way more screwed than I thought I was. It was the dress. It was the dress. Just go to sleep and it will all go away by the morning.

* * *

**Elena**

I'm crazy! I'm completely stupid! I thought for maybe just a second, I'd seen a change in Damon. For just a minute I thought I saw the look in his eyes that I'd always wanted to see there. _Want_. In my mind, I saw his eyes darken, and his gaze linger. But of course, I made it all up in my head. Stupid Elena, he'll never love you. He wants Katherine. He wants to be with Katherine. Not me. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

I started to cry all over again. Of course he wouldn't want me. I'm just good old Elena, childhood best friend. I'm average looking, my nose is weird and my face looks like shit when I cry. I can't compete with Katherine Peirce, who's basically a freaking supermodel! She's beautiful, and I'm just…me. Who'd pick me when they had her?

I finally moved from the floor by the door and made my way to the bathroom. God, I looked like complete hell. My face was red and puffy, my eyes looked like they were squashed into my brain, and my makeup was turning my whole face black. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed at my face as hard as I could, hard enough to make my skin raw to the touch. I sunk into bed, and turned to face the window looking out on Damon's house, like I did every night. I can't see the house from where I am, but I like to imagine I can see him getting into bed and turning off the light. It's like I need to make sure he's safe before I even consider sleep. But tonight, when I imagined him in his bedroom, Katherine was there making love to him. And I was all alone in this big old empty house. My eyes threatened to spill over again, but this time, I refused them. I rolled over to my other side, and looked at the empty bed before me. If only he could be here with me.

After a long day, he would just lay here next to me, and we could talk about whatever we needed too. He would hold my hand under the covers and make me feel safer than I'd ever felt before. We would fall asleep wound into each other. Right before we slipped into dreams he would whisper in my ear.

"I love you, Lena."

I would snuggle deeper into him, trying to become a part of him. And I would whisper back.

"I love you too, Damon."

But instead of sleeping in Damon's arms, I'm completely alone, while he seeks comfort with another woman. I bury my head in my pillow and cry, lulling myself to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, I looked like complete hell. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry again. But I'm not a wimp anymore. I'm strong, and confidant and no man can bring me down. I dressed as sexy as I could, telling myself that the better I looked, the better I would feel. But, I still felt downtrodden, like there was something resting on my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The only thing I had to look forward to today was seeing Caroline. I really liked having her as a friend, hell, I liked having _a_ friend.

When I came through the elevator that morning, Caroline gave me a bright grin, and then jumped up to give me a hug.

"Elena!" she shrieked as she attempted to squeeze the breath out of my lungs. That girl had some strong arms. I gasped a little. "Car…oline!"

"Oh sorry!" she released me, and then gave me a second or two to remember how to breathe again.

"How'd last night go?" she questioned, "With Damon?" _Like I was with anyone else last night._ I considered lying, telling her that we'd had a great time, and pushing her away. But that was so old Elena. Caroline is my friend, granted, she's only been my friend for 24 hours, but she's the best I've got and I need to tell her what really happened.

I sighed a little bit. "Everything was going great, but then he had to bring up Katherine and…"

"Wait, who's Katherine?"

"One of Damon's one night stands. But their one night stand turned into many night stands, and now Damon wants to date her." I cringed when I said the words.

"He told you that?"

"Yeah."

"Well we'll just have to get that bitch out of his life for good!" Caroline decided. Now there was something I agreed with.

* * *

The work day went as it always did, and soon I found myself parking at the end of my driveway and walking to the house again. It'd been a full sixteen hours since I'd last seen Damon and I missed him. But I stayed home alone, like I always did, and watched TV, pretending that he sat next to me.

I must've dozed off, because when I looked at the clock again, it was nearly eleven, and I knew I hadn't watched three hours of TV shows. But then I realized the reason why I had awoken. There was somebody pounding on my front door, and they were pounding hard. I could see the vibrations from where I sat on the couch. I threw my blanket off, and grumbled about getting up. _Those stupid cable guys. They don't seem to understand that eleven o'clock is a completely unreasonable hour?_ The knocking continued, and I was going to ignore it until it went away, like I did with most of my other problems. But then I heard a voice.

"Lena!" _Damon._ I practically ran to the front door and pulled it open. He looked a little sheepish for making so much noise. "Can I come in?"

"Umm. Yes?" When was the last time he asked to enter my house? How about never?

He stormed in, pushing right by me. I was more than a little confused now. I shut the door, and turned to find him pacing in my living room. "Damon?" I asked cautiously. "Is something wrong?"

He turned to face me. "Yes, Elena! Something _is_ wrong." When he didn't elaborate, I pressed a little bit. "Care to enlighten me?"

He glared at me. "I can't! Because you can't enlighten the problem of itself!"

I was trying to process. Wait, I was the problem? "Wait, are you saying that I'm…"

Before I could blink, he was right in front of me, toes touching, stomachs brushing. I couldn't breathe; electricity was flowing through us, from me to him, from him to me.

"The problem, Elena. You're the problem." I looked up at him, but I wasn't prepared for how close his face was to mine. Our noses brushed and we breathed the same air.

"You're the problem Elena." He said it a little softer this time.

"I can't think anymore. You've turned my whole mind upside down. Katherine came over today, but I didn't want her, because all I could think about was you." I drew in a shaky breath. "That dress you wore last night threw me over the edge. All I can think about is your eyes and your smile and those lips, I want to reveal your perfect body, and wrap your legs around my waist."

_Yes. Yes. YES! _ His words were amazingly sexy and I wanted all of it. He pressed his forehead into mine and cocked it to the side. The contact made me explode, sending more sparks straight to my core.

"Why are you plaguing my mind? Why can't I think of anyone but you? I've spent all day at work just wishing I was with you." He slowly guided me back into the wall and pressed his hands on either side of my head. I could barely breathe, I'd forgotten how.

"Elena…" he whispered. And then he kissed me.

His lips were warm over mine, and the fire within me grew even more. Shivers crawled up my arms. _Damon is kissing me. Damon is kissing me! _

I've waited for this moment for most of my life, for the feel of his mouth on mine. I kissed him back, trying to show him how much I wanted him. His hands left the wall and came to cradle my face. I'd never felt anything more tender in my whole life, and the emotion made me want to cry. I grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket instead, and pulled him farther toward me.

I was on fire. I was burning. I melted under his touch. This is where I belonged, with Damon. _Kissing_ Damon. His hands glided down my body and came to rest at my waist, pulling my lower body taut against his, letting me feel his arousal. I gasped into his mouth, while he ground against me. Oh God. I needed him closer. I pulled at his jacket and threw in on the floor before attacking his mouth with renewed vigor. He tasted perfect, and I couldn't get enough. _Damon wants me! _

His tongue slid along my bottom lip and met my own, eliciting a moan from me. He growled deep in his throat, and pulled my t-shirt over my head, finding my naked chest. He pressed kisses all over my collarbone while I slid his shirt off. God, he was perfect. I traced my hands all over his chest and stomach, marveling at the feel of his smooth muscles and warm skin. I've wanted to do this so many times, to touch him freely, and now I can. His fingers were dancing up and down my spine, and his mouth had returned to mine, and it was doing such wonderful things. He pulled back and mumbled my name against my lips before locking me in another searing kiss.

I started, and found myself on my couch with the TV still on. It took me a minute to place where I was, and where Damon had gone. But then I got it. _It was a dream!_

Damnit! I groaned, and still very much aroused, I buried my face into the cushions, hoping for sleep that wasn't plagued with demon dreams.

* * *

**AN: Don't hate me! Tell me what you thought? xxx**

**Song: Stay - Hurts**


	6. We Will Never Be The Same

**AN: Thanks for sticking with me this far guys! I really appreciate all of your reviews!**

* * *

**Elena**

In the past two weeks I've done everything I can to avoid Damon. I claimed that I'm way too busy with stuff for the fundraiser to even think about getting together. But he pulls the best friend card, and I have to commit to a call or a text message every now and then.

He wants to know how I'm doing and how I'm feeling and he wants to talk about Katherine. Okay, yes, I'm being an awful best friend, but come on! Hearing the guy you're in love with talk about another girl isn't that fun, actually it sucks.

Since I woke up from my dream, I can't face him. I don't really know why. I think part of it is that I don't want to see him with Katherine, when I want him to be with me, and the other part is that I'm scared that I'll do something completely irrational, like kiss him or something. And good God do I want to kiss him. That dream was all too real, and my mind is going crazy over it.

I walked into work that morning with a head full of Damon. _God!_ I need to shake him! Today will be all about work and putting the final touches on the fundraiser. As I moved into Klaus's office from the elevator, I noticed that Caroline's bubbly blonde head was nowhere to be seen. She's probably getting coffee or something. We had planned to get lunch again to discuss the Damon issue and anything else on our minds.

I love having Caroline as a friend, she's great, and I'm so glad that I met her. I passed the receptionist desk and into my own office, set my things down and began a quick e-mail blast for the various parties I had under my command. Everything was going perfectly, party wise. I just needed a date. I usually went to these things with Damon, as friends, but since I haven't spoken to him, I don't really know what his plans are. He's probably going with Katherine. _Bitch._

I don't even know who I could ask. It's not like I have many friends besides Damon and Caroline, the first of which is dating a whore, and the second is another woman. No options there. Guys will show interest in me, but I've never been interested in anyone besides You-Know-Who. I'll just go alone. _Wait._ Caroline once told me that pretending to move on with someone else will help your chances with who you want to be with, in other words, make him jealous! But with who?

_Liam!_ He's probably not used to formal parties, but I'm sure he has a tux, doesn't every guy? I'll go ask him at our lunch break.

A new e-mail pops up in my inbox, requesting the fax of the corporate owner, a.k.a. Klaus. Caroline should be back by now, so I can have her do the actual faxing. I grab the specific paper that he needs to sign, and open his office door. The second the air permeates the room, I hear whimpers. Curiously, I step the rest of the way in and see the unthinkable.

Caroline is shoved into the wall, her dress pulled up to her stomach, while Klaus forcefully shoves into her, his hand on her mouth. She's whimpering in pain, and my heart wrenches in my chest. Old Elena would back out quietly and pretend she saw nothing, but New Elena has no fear. Caroline finally sees me at the door, and her eyes connect with mine, filled with horror and heartbreak. I lose it.

I run over to Klaus and pummel his back with my fists, grabbing at his shirt to get him off of Caroline. She helps push him from the front, and with her help, I pull him off and out of her. He lands on top of me, both of us facing upward. I push him off, and look at Caroline, who is pulling her dress down over her legs.

"Go wait outside."

She hesitates. "But Elena…"

She's scared he'll do the same to me. "Go Caroline. I'll be out in a minute."

Once Caroline is gone, I turn back to Klaus, who is finishing off and tucking himself back into his pants. I can't contain my anger anymore, and I rush at him with fists flying. "You vile little bastard! You fucking asshole!"

He easily grabs my wrists and slams me up against the nearest wall, sending my heart into my throat. "Be careful how you speak to me, little girl." He sneers, before running his fingers down my cheek. I spit in his face, but he just laughs.

"You saw what happened with your little friend there. I'll warn you one more time."

His hands run down the front of my skirt and find the hem, moving up my bare legs. This is it. All dreams of first times and true loves goodbye. All dreams of a first time with Damon, gone. He's going to _take_ it.

I'm itching to get him off of me, his hands are heavy and damp as they move to my underwear. I struggle, kicking my feet and using my hands, but my mouth is clamped shut and he is so much stronger than me. He unzips his pants, and thrusts one of my hands on his erection. This is so wrong. God, it's so wrong. He's everywhere, squeezing me too tightly, grabbing my breasts, hurting me. I scream into the hand covering my mouth. _Stop! Stop! Stop! _ He rips my underwear, and moves into position. _Oh god. Oh god, somebody help me! Stop! _

"Don't act like you haven't wanted this all along. You knew that taking care of my _business _was part of the job when you took it." My eyes were wide, conveying the horror I felt. This was wrong. I'd never felt more terrified in my entire life, because the one thing that I had kept sacred was about to be forcefully taken from me instead of willingly given. _Stop! Jesus, Buddha, whoever's up there, help me! _

"Don't worry, sweetness you'll love it."

I close my eyes, hoping it will be quick. Picturing Damon's face, I whisper over and over against the hand holding my mouth. _I love you. I love you. I love you._

I prepared for what I'd heard from friends, from books and magazines, the thrusting and the pain. But before anything could happen, I heard the intercom beep from Klaus's desk; he grumbled and moved to get it. The second he walked away from me, I made a mad dash for the door, but he caught me before I could get too far.

"Where do you think you're going love?" He held my wrist in an iron grip and dragged me to the phone with him. Clamping his other hand on my mouth again, he pressed me up against his body before answering the phone.

"Klaus Mikelson."

The voice on the other line echoed throughout the room. "Yes, Mr. Mikelson. Representatives from the Lockwood Company are here for your nine thirty and your receptionist is not picking up her phone. May I send them up?"

Klaus looked at me and then back to the phone. _Yes. Let them up!_

"Ask them to reschedule." He looked me up and down, my pencil skirt still bunched over my thighs. "I'm a little…_occupied_ at the moment."

"Yes, sir." I heard her speaking to into the background of the phone while Klaus whispered in my ear. "Just hold tight. Don't want them thinking anything's wrong."

The receptionist returned to the line. "Mr. Mikelson, Tyler Lockwood is here himself, and he is demanding to have the meeting right now. You have kept them waiting for over thirty minutes already sir."

"Fine. Send them up." Once the line clicked off, he released the hand that held my mouth, but kept me close to his body, so uncomfortably close. I could barely breathe. "We're not finished here. Go out and pretend like nothing is wrong, and speak no word of this to anyone."

Shoving me toward the door, he pushed himself into his pants, and straightened up in the mirror. I stumbled a bit, before getting my footing again. Pulling my skirt down, I left the office and slammed the door. I leaned against it and took a deep, shaky breath. _Oh my god. _I immediately wanted to vomit with the thought of him touching me. Putting my head between my knees, I kept taking long breaths, trying to will his voice and his body out of my head. _Caroline!_

Looking up from my spot at the door, I saw her sitting on the floor with a dark haired man kneeling in front of her. I scrambled over to her, and wrapped my arms around her trembling form. "Caroline! Are you okay?"

All I wanted to do was break down with her, but I had to be strong. The man in front of us looked me straight in the eye. "Are you okay, miss?"

_No._ "Yes."

"I'm Tyler Lockwood, the…"

I interrupted. "…C.E.O. of the Lockwood Company. I know. I'm Elena Gilbert."

"I came into the office to find Ms. Forbes here, and she told me what had happened. I've called the police, and I'm going to make sure that both of you are safe." He said this all very calmly, like was talking about the weather. I'm sure he was just trying to keep us from going into hysterics, but it wasn't working. _Caroline was fucking raped! I almost was! There is nothing calm about this situation! _I wanted to scream, and throw things, and cry, and rip my skin off where he touched me, but most of all I wanted Damon.

Tyler continued. "I'm going to take you both home, and I don't want you to come into work tomorrow, okay?" Caroline nodded meekly and I followed suit. After looking at both of us for a minute, he pulled off his suit jacket and placed it on Caroline's shivering shoulders, hoping to warm her up, I guess.

"Let's go down to the lobby." He led us into the elevator and down to the first floor. Once we got there, we moved to chairs, and I pulled out my phone, pushing number two.

It rang three times before he picked up. "Hey Lena."

_Damon._ It was so good to hear his voice. "Damon…" My voice broke halfway through his name, and I could hear him tense on the other side of the line. "Lena! What's wrong?"

"Can you just come get me?" I remembered a similar conversation that we'd once had, way back in high school.

"Of course, where are you?"

_I will not cry. I will not cry. _"The office."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

After he hung up, I took Caroline's hand and stroked it with my thumb. She turned to me with teary eyes.

"Thanks," she whispered. "Thanks for stopping him."

I didn't say anything to that. She looked at me again, "Did he…you know?"

I shook my head quickly. _Yes_. "No, no he didn't."

She breathed a sigh of relief and rested her head against the wall. "It just happened so fast, you know? I just had to go in there to ask him something and then…"

"Shh, Care. It's okay. We can talk about it later okay?"

She nodded a little bit and closed her eyes. "Okay."

I watched as Tyler talked to the cops, and as they walked to the elevator. He sat down across from us, and just looked, like he didn't really know what to do. But who would in this situation?

What do you say to two girls that you just met, when one is crying, and you know one is lying and you're getting the man that attacked them arrested?

But then, my gaze caught something else completely, a man running through the doors to the lobby. _Damon_. And at that second everything went slow motion. He looked around frantically before his eyes found mine. He froze, and I stood up, and at the same time we catapulted toward each other. The second I reached him, his arms wrapped me into a strong embrace, holding me tight to him. The moment he touched me, I felt safe again, like nothing had ever happened. I tucked my head into the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent, trying to stay grounded, to not start sobbing. "Elena. Elena. What happened sweetheart?"

I couldn't even form words, so I just shook my head. My body started shaking and I couldn't stop it. Damon rubbed soothing circles on my back while he whispered into my ear, trying to comfort me. I heard Tyler's voice in the background of my own personal world.

"Damon."

"Tyler. What happened?"

"I think she should tell you that. Do you have her from here?"

Damon hugged me even closer to his body before answering. "I've got her."

With my head still in the crook of his neck, he picked me up, tucking me into him. He carried us out to the car, before laying me in the passenger seat, and getting in on his own side. I didn't say anything as he drove me home, I just sat there, physically unable to move or speak. Unable to breathe. All I could think about was hands on my body that weren't supposed to be there. I wanted to scream. _Why me?_

* * *

When we reached my house, Damon picked me back out of my seat and moved to the front door, unlocking it with his own key. He walked up the stairs and into my bedroom, laying me on the bed. After putting me down on my side, he crouched down facing me. His hand traced my face, moving stray pieces of hair out of my eyes. The second he touched me, I could breathe again.

"What happened, Lena?" He asked gently.

I took a breath. "I went into Klaus's office because I needed him to sign something for me. And when I walked in there, I saw him…" I didn't have the words.

"What did he do, Elena?" His hand cupped my cheek, and warmth enveloped my whole body with his simple touch.

"He was with Caroline, and she was against the wall and her skirt was pushed up and he had his hand over her mouth and he having sex with her and she was whimpering and trying to say no…" I was babbling now. It was all just coming out, word after word after word. "I pulled him off of her and told her to get out. And then he…" But I stopped speaking. I couldn't say what had happened, I couldn't. But Damon's face had gone very hard and still.

"What happened then, Elena?" He said in a cold voice. He's angry, and I hate it when he's angry. I tried to figure out what to say. He repeated himself. "What happened?"

I closed my eyes and decided to just tell the truth. "He grabbed me and pushed me against a wall and pulled my skirt up. He took off his pants and he…made me touch him." The warmth of Damon's hand left my cheek. I opened my eyes to see what had happened, just in time to see him punch a hole in my bedroom wall. "I'm going to fucking kill him! I'm going to fucking break his neck!" He roared.

"Damon!" He stopped yelling at the sound of my voice, but he was still shaking with anger. "Damon, they arrested him. It's okay." I was trying to reassure myself too.

"No Elena! It's not fucking okay!" He took a breath and came to crouch by my bedside again. "Lena. What happened after that?"

I wanted to die. "He told me that I wanted it and he was about to do it, but the intercom stopped him."

Damon looked relieved. "So, he didn't…?"

I shook my head. "No, he didn't."

He collapsed his head on the side of my bed. "I'm so sorry Lena. I'm so sorry."

I ran my fingers through his hair, "It's okay. There's nothing that you could've done."

"But if I'd been there…"

"Damon, it's okay."

He looked right into my eyes, and he got that weird look on his face again. Pulling the quilt from under my body, he then placed it on top of me. He shed his shirt, and climbed into the bed from the other side, bringing my body to his. I let him hug me too him and felt his warmth surround me._ I'm safe_. Klaus jumps into my mind for a minute, but I push him out easily, letting the horrors of the day evaporate while I burrow deeper into Damon's arms. I fall asleep somewhere between thoughts of "he's got great arms" and "this is where I belong".

* * *

**AN: Thoughts? xxx**

**Song: Love Song Requiem - Trading Yesterday**


	7. Even In Darkness I'll Never Leave

**AN: Again, thank you guys for sticking with me this far! I enjoy every single one of your reviews!**

* * *

**Damon**

I was going to kill him! Rip him limb from limb and then stab him repeatedly! That bastard dared to touch my Elena, and he deserved to die for it. But right now, I have a sleeping girl burrowed into my chest and something about her presence makes me want to stay exactly where I was. Elena has power over me, a power that I would never allow anyone else to hold. If she wanted I would throw myself off of a bridge or become celibate (which, thankfully, she hasn't asked).

Today had been hell for her, and it had been torture for me to hear about it, to realize that I could've stopped it. I should've killed Klaus the first time I saw him look at Elena's ass. Just thinking over what she told me makes me burn with anger, he pushed her, he manhandled her. He made her _touch_ him. Imagining Elena's sweet little hands being forced to wrap around him makes me want to go out and break his neck. That _asshole_!

I pull her tightly to me, and she subconsciously nuzzles her face into my bare chest. No one will ever hurt her again, hell, I won't let anyone touch her again; no one is good enough for my girl. I lean down and kiss her on the forehead, when I notice she smells off. She still smells like strawberries and sunshine, but there's something else there something darker, like smoke and cheap women's perfume.

_Klaus._ His smell is all over her, just like his hands were. I lift the covers and see that she was still in the rumpled clothes she'd been wearing when it happened, I must have missed it. Of course I did, I've never been that observant, and I was much too busy with Elena herself, than to notice what she was wearing.

I slipped my arm out from under her body and slowly got out of the bed, leaving the safe haven of warmth I had found there. Elena and I had slept in the same bed together hundreds of times, but it had never felt like it had tonight. Maybe it was because I had never held her when she slept. But then again, I'd never held anyone while they slept; I was more of a "fuck 'em and chuck 'em" kind of guy. So the sensation felt good to me, not Elena. I moved to the end of the bed, leaving the covers off of her body, and I just looked at her for a minute. _Damn, she's beautiful_.

_See, right there!_ That's the kind of stuff that keeps happening to me! I'll just be minding my own business and then I get all these thoughts of Elena rushing my head. How gorgeous she is, what would happen if I kissed her, what would happen if she… _There it goes again! _I should _not _be thinking about her that way. But I can't even control it! It's like my head has a mind of its own. I want to keep spending time with her, and being so close to her, but the new thing is that I might want to kiss her too. What does that even mean? I've never felt like this before, I've felt complete lust for thousands of people, but I've only ever wanted to let one person in, Elena. And now I want to mix them together? _What?_

I won't lie, sometimes my head goes a little too far with Elena in mind, but that's the thing, it's not just sex, it's waking up and breakfast, and all of the other mushy and cuddly stuff. Yep, something is officially wrong; I should get my brain checked out.

Able to see in the moonlight, I move to her white dresser and softly open the first drawer. Lacy bras and sexy underwear cloud my vision. Funny, I'd always pictured Elena as a Fruit of the Loom's girl, but these are anything but plain. I grab a pair of black panties and run them through my fingers. She would be a dream in these, the black lace contrasting with her olive skin. Stop! I fling the underwear back in the drawer, and move on to the next, finding t-shirts and little shorts. I grab two at random, and make my way back over to Elena. I climb onto bed next to her and try to figure out how to change her. I really shouldn't be doing this, but I owe it to Elena. The last thing she needs is to wake up in the clothes she was assaulted in, smelling like him. A shower would be the most ideal, but I don't want to wake her.

I sidle up to her and slide my hands under her warm back, slowly sitting her up and resting her front against my chest. It's a good thing she's such a heavy sleeper, or she'd be awake in seconds. I unfold the shirt I found and recognize it immediately, because it's mine. The old, gray New York Jets shirt I had been missing since I was a teenager had been with Elena all along. I smiled, it was like her to hoard something of mine, and she had probably planned something special to do with it.

I started to unbutton her shirt while holding the back of her head with my hand, supporting her. Trying to give her privacy, I looked at her face while I did my work. Thankfully, due to my years of sex I am extremely skilled at unbuttoning and unzipping without looking. Keeping her sleeping form as still as possible, I pulled the white shirt off of her shoulders and threw it on the floor. Still holding her head and neck with my hand, I reached for the Jets Shirt, but it was a tad too far out of my reach. I rested her torso on mine again in order to gain the use of both of my arms. However, I'd forgotten that she had nothing but a bra on. Her bare stomach and shoulders grazed my chest, and my breathing stopped for a second. _What the hell?_ I touch girls much more naked than Elena all of the time. Why is this any different?

Before my mind ran away with itself, I slipped the t-shirt over her head, and deftly moved her arms through the holes. When she was in seventh grade, the smoke alarm went off in her house due to over baked brownies in the oven. Everyone was up, ready for a fire; I even woke up in my house because of the noise. It took Elena's dad over 30 minutes to figure out how to disable the thing, and by that time I had already made my way over there to try and help him. Thirty minutes of an ear splitting alarm and she slept through the whole thing. The moral of the story is that Elena can sleep through a little clothes swap.

Once the shirt was over her head, I lifted her up and removed her skirt. I put one foot after the other into the legs of her pajama shorts before sliding them up her smooth legs and settling them on her hips. I refused to let my mind wander the whole time, and I was proud when I was finished. She lay in clean clothes, and she smelled like herself again. I moved her from my chest back down to the bed, laying her head on her pillow. Proud of my work, I slid back under the covers and put my arms around her again, spooning her from behind. I buried my head in her hair, letting her familiar scent lull me to sleep.

* * *

**Elena**

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that both my pencil skirt and my white button down from the previous night were strewn on the floor. Which was strange because… _Klaus. _Everything from the day before hit me like lightning; walking in, seeing Caroline, Klaus, his hands all over me, the threats, getting away, Tyler helping us … something is off. I feel the arm draped over my waist and come to a realization; _Klaus is in bed with me. _ Oh my god!

I scrambled to get out of the bed and away from him, but he tightens his grip on my body.

"Get the fuck away from me, you bastard!" I screamed, pushing harder against the weight holding me down. I will be damned if I let him take advantage of me again without a fight. I'm shoving him as hard as I can, but he won't budge.

"Get the fuck off of me!" I yelled as I rammed my elbow into his chest. God, I was starting to feel claustrophobic, I couldn't move, and I knew what was coming next. He would strip me and have his way with me, violating me and taking what wasn't his. But I wasn't weak; I wouldn't let him rape me. I'm Elena Gilbert for fuck's sake. I lost my whole family at age fifteen, I've keep hidden feelings inside of me for eleven years, I've faced depression, I've faced loneliness, I've faced hopelessness and I _refuse _to be prey to this man. I thrashed around in his arms, bending my knees in the hopes of hitting his groin with my feet.

"Elena!" How dare he say my name? This fucking asshole has _no right_ to touch me or speak to me after what he did. I'm on fire now; I can feel the adrenaline burning in my veins. I kick and hit harder.

"Elena!" He yells again. I suddenly find myself pinned under his body, his legs straddling mine and his hands restraining mine above my head. _Oh Jesus_. The flame in me dies a bit and is replaced with fear. He's _on top of me_, and he's heavy. There's no way that I'll be able to push him off of me.

"Elena!" I focus on his face for the first time, only to find that his eyes are a much more piercing blue, and his eyebrows are inky black instead of light brown. _Damon._

* * *

**Damon**

I woke up the second Elena started thrashing in my arms. Realizing she was having a nightmare, I pulled her tight to me trying to soothe her. But then she started screaming and hitting. "Get the fuck away from me, you bastard!" _She's dreaming about Klaus. _

I keep her tight to me as she flays under my arm, and start to shake her and call her name. She can't hear me, she's lost in some world, but her eyes are _open_. Wait? She's awake?

"Get the fuck off of me!" She screams as she thrusts an elbow into my ribcage. She thinks that _I'm_ Klaus.

I shake her more, "Elena!"

She moves harder, with newfound determination, trying to get away. "Elena! It's me!" I scream, trying to get her to focus on me. She keeps flailing around, so I do the only thing I can think off, I pin her, just like I would've when I was on my high school's wrestling team. "Elena!"

I'm on top of her, my legs straddling hers, my knees hooking around the back of her calves, efficiently locking her lower body. My hands grip her wrists and throw them above her head. I look down at her, still struggling to move her limbs. "Elena!"

Her glazed over eyes begin to focus, and I can see the realization dawn in her eyes. She knows it's me, not _him._ I breathe out a sigh of relief and look down at her face. But then I realize something; I'm on _top_ of her. My body covers hers perfectly, and she's so warm under me. Her bare legs are tucked under mine, and her shirt has ridden up, letting part of her flat stomach touching my chest. The place where our skin is touching is on fire. If I moved my hands up a little more, I could lace my fingers with hers. Our hips are connected and my pants are already tight, thinking about how close I am to her center. I stifle back a groan. She's gazing at me with a funny expression on her face, and everything switches back to reality. _She's your best friend, you shouldn't be thinking about her that way._ But before I can roll off of her she says my name. "Damon."

* * *

**Elena**

Oh my god. It was Damon, not Klaus. He was probably just trying to calm me down; I was acting like a lunatic. But then I realize that I'm under him, as in, he's lying on _top_ of me, his legs trapping mine. We've never been in this position before, ever. His body is so warm and his upper half is naked, the muscles begging to be touched. Our hips are pushed together and I can feel his arousal through the cotton of my pajama shorts, causing a torrential downpour in my underwear. I could stay like this for years.

"Damon."

"Yeah?" He says softly.

"What happened?"

He moves off of me and I almost whimper at the loss of contact. We turn to face each other, and Damon fixes the covers that I must have messed up when I was thrashing around like a mental patient. Once were both back under the covers, he speaks.

"I thought you were having a bad dream, Lena. But you started screaming and kicking at me and you kept yelling at me to get off of you." I cringed.

"That's when I figured you were dreaming about Klaus. I was trying to get you to calm down when I realized that you were awake. And you thought that _I_ was _him_."

He sounded hurt by that, like I had purposely compared him to my attacker. "So I finally got you back to normal, and here we are."

He tucked his arm under my pillow and looked at me while I comprehended his words. Looking at him making himself comfortable I realized that I liked the way he looked in my bed, and the way I felt when he slept next to me and held me during the night. But I loved the most was the way he felt on top of me.

_Whoa!_ Slow down Elena. The only reason he held you was because you needed to be restrained so you didn't break something. And being on top of you was a last resort, not anything romantic.

"I'm sorry."

"No. No. No. Lena, it's completely okay!"

I closed my eyes after a while of silence; everything was getting a little too intense. My body wouldn't forget the feel of Damon's and the electricity flowing from me could probably set something on fire. I open my eyes and they instantly connect with Damon's icy blue ones. God, I love those eyes, they're easily the best I've ever seen. He keeps looking at me, and I start to get uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, in a 'sweet Jesus I want to kiss this man' way. He breaks the silence before me.

"Are you doing okay?"

"I don't really know, honestly. I think I'm still in shock."

He looks me over for a second with caution in his eyes, like he's afraid I'll fall apart.

I continued. "I mean, I was completely horrified when I saw him in there with Caroline. I heard what he'd said before, but I didn't think he meant them."

"What did he say before?" Damon asked.

"A few weeks ago, he just said some things about Caroline. He was telling me that I should, like, _brag_ about his skills in bed to her." Damon's face hardened again.

"I told him that I wouldn't, and he said that he didn't need my words…that he would _have_ her whether she wanted it or not." I took a deep breath. "And he said some things to me too."

And then I realized. I could've stopped what happened to Caroline. I could've said something instead of brushing off his comment, I could have bought her a Taser to carry around at all times, I could've told Damon, I could've told the police, _I could've saved her_. I let out a sob, the first since I'd burst into Klaus's office. It was my fault that my friend was _raped._

The second I started crying, Damon grabbed me and pulled me back into his arms.

"Shh. Baby, you're okay. You're okay."

I buried my face in his chest. "No! It's not okay! It was my fault!

He brings one hand to my head, while the other encases my waist. "No, Lena. It was _not_ your fault. That man is a fucking lowlife, it's _his_ fault." He soothes, stroking my hair.

"But I could've stopped it, I could've stopped him!" I almost scream. I'm so frustrated with myself. What kind of fucking person sits around and does nothing while someone threatens to hurt her friend? It should've been me, not her. She didn't deserve it, but I did. I do!

He quells my shaking with his hands. "Don't say that Lena…"

"But what if it's true?"

He has nothing to say to that, instead he just holds me tighter. My sobs escalate to the point where I'm taking heaving breaths and profusely shaking. Damon whispers calming words in my ears as he holds me. "Shh. You're okay now. I've got you. It's okay. I won't let him get to you. You're safe now. I'm here. Shh. It's okay Elena."

But I can barely hear him over the thoughts scrambling through my head. Everything was moving too fast in there, and I just wanted to scream. Every part of the previous day came to me while I cried, making me feel even worse. I've been used. I'm not good anymore. Instead I've been thrown out with the garbage. I sob even harder. Why me? What did I ever do to Klaus? What did I ever to at all to deserve this? I began to pound Damon's chest with my fists.

"Why! Why Damon? Why? Why! Why!" I screamed as both of my hands flew into his torso. "Why me? What the fuck did I ever do to him? He fucking _ruined _me! Now all that I am is dirty and used! No one will want me now, because he…"

Damon abruptly pulled both of my hands away from his chest and held them tight in one of his own. His other hand stroked the hair that had flown in my face, moving it back in place. "You, Elena, are _not _ruined. You are _not_ dirty and you are_ not_ used. You are beautiful and the most amazing girl I've ever met. You didn't _ask _for him to force himself on you. He did it, not you!" he paused, "And Elena, even if you were dirty and used, even if you slept with a different guy every night and lived in the dumpster, I would still love you. Okay?"

I opened my mouth and no words came out. _I would still love you. _Take out two words and you get the three best ones in the world. _I love you._

Don't read too much into it Elena, I scold myself. I don't want to get my hopes up; after all, he didn't mean it like that.

"Okay." I sniffled a little bit. But there was one question still on my mind. "Why do some men want to take advantage of women? Why did he keep going, even when I said no?"

Damon sighed, and released my hands. He continued to stroke my hair as he answered my question. "I don't know Elena. I don't know. Some men, like Klaus, are sick and they get pleasure out of… taking what they want, even if the girl or child says no."

I shuddered, remembering both mine and Caroline's screams against Klaus's hand. He had been rough so rough with me. My breasts hurt from his hands, and I can feel the bruises forming where he held me against the wall, and against him.

Is that how sex really is? I'd always imagined romance and passion and _love,_ but maybe that was all in my head. Is it all about what the man wants physically? Caroline always talks about how good a guy is, but she never said anything about how it felt for her. Even if I have sex with someone I'm madly in love with (Damon) and who's madly in love with me (Damon, I wish), will it still hurt?

Damon is still lying next to me, running his hands through my hair. I speak up. "Damon?"

He focuses on my eyes again, "yeah?"

"Is that what it feels like?" Oh, god. This is so embarrassing. I know I can talk to him about anything, I've always been able to, but he is so experienced, and I'm…not.

He gives me a confused look. "What?"

I take a deep breath. "You know. _Sex. _Will it hurt like it did today? It didn't really feel good, and it was scary." Jesus, I sounded like a sixth grader.

"No, Elena. It will never be like that." He fumbles over his words for a minute. "Sex is about pleasure. It will feel amazing, and it can feel scary, but only in a good way. The first time for a girl can hurt a little bit when…it happens, but I've heard that the pain gives way to pleasure very quickly." He looks right into my eyes again. "When emotions are involved, sex is an amazing connection between two people. That's why it's called 'making love'. There's love and passion and romance, each wanting to complete the other. At least I think."

He added the last bit after a bit, and I realized something. Damon wants exactly the same thing that I do.

"Elena, what Klaus did to you was awful, but you can't let that experience ruin you. One day, you're going to find a man who will consume you with his love, one who will love you madly. And when you decide to make love with him, your love for him will intensify by millions. It will be amazing and beautiful and earth shattering for you both." Damon looked a little shocked about the speech he'd just made, and honestly, I was too. I'd never pegged him for a romantic, but now I could tell that he wanted love. The words he just told me were completely beautiful, and I felt like crying all over again just listening to him talk. God, if only he knew that it's him! He completely consumes me. I've been in love with him since I was thirteen, and I've never been interested in anyone else. Here I am at twenty four, and I've never kissed anyone I actually wanted to.

He interrupts my thoughts with a quick laugh. "Let's just pretend those mushy words never came out of my mouth."

"I thought it was beautiful."

His eyes soften for a moment, but soon, his walls are back up.

I continued when he didn't say anything. "Thanks Damon. For everything."

* * *

**AN: Okay, recap time!**

**Elena is still in love with Damon as always, but the whole situation with Klaus has gotten her a little confused about what love is.**

**Damon is figuring out his feelings for Elena. He's in love with her, but he doesn't know that yet, because he's never experienced those emotions. He doesn't know what love feels like, and is therefore very confused about Elena.**

**There was a lot of reviews questioning Klaus's arrest. Yes, he was arrested, and he's in jail now. I didn't make that clear earlier, sorry about that.**

**So please leave review and let me know what you thought! Loved it? Hated it? Oh, and tell me what you'd like to see happen next!**

**Thank you all so much! xxx**

**Song: Battle Cry - Everybody Else**


	8. I'm Here, I'm Now, I'm Ready

**AN: Thank you so much for sticking with me! Please make sure you read my note at the end of the chapter as well! **

* * *

**Damon**

Elena fell asleep a little while after our heart to heart. Which was pretty awkward to be honest. I mean, I meant what I said, but talking to Elena about sex was weird for both of us. Especially with these feelings that are popping up out of nowhere for me.

I felt so helpless when I was talking to her. I've never been in the situation that she was forced into and I didn't really know what to say, I just hope that it was enough. Her words flew through my head over and over, "dirty, used, ruined."

It wasn't true, none of it was. Elena was the exact opposite, bright, pure, and perfect. Just looking at her sleeping form is like gazing at a fucking angel. When she fell asleep, she was keeping a respectable distance between us, but now, she was pressed up against me, her head on my chest, and her hand resting dangerously low on my stomach. Just imagining that pretty little hand on me makes my pants uncomfortably tight._ Not now Damon._

My mind if going crazy. I love what I have with Elena, I love being able to talk to her about anything, I love being her knight in shining armor. I love having someone who genuinely cares about me, I love having her around, I love making her laugh, I love her courage and her kindness. I love how _real_ she is.

But on the other hand, I love her body. I love her lips, I love that soft hair, I love the way her hips sway when she walks. I love the way her skin feels, I love how little she is compared to me. I love how her body can turn me on with a look or a touch. I love how beautiful she is.

The problem is, it's impossible to have both. If I go for the friendship, sex is completely out of the question. If I go for the sex, the friendship goes out the window.

But, Elena has been my best friend since she was born. I'll never throw that away, no matter what I want at the time.

She nuzzles into my side a little more, and a soft moan escapes her mouth. A fucking _moan, _as if my pants weren't uncomfortable enough already. What the hell is she doing in that dream land of hers? I'm hoping it has something to do with me and her naked. _Damon!_

I've gotta calm down. At this rate, I'll ravage her without a second thought. In her sleep, her leg comes to wrap around one of mine, my thigh against her center. _Jesus._ I need to get out right now, before I do something extremely stupid.

Trying to untangle my body from Elena's, I go to move out of the bed, knowing she won't wake up. But she pulls me closer to her before I can go very far, surprising me. Her little body tightens, reminding me exactly how much I need to leave.

She opens her eyes, still drowsy with sleep. "Where're you going?"

I look down at the girl wrapped around me. I don't want to leave; I don't want to go anywhere. "I need a shower. We've been in this bed for…" I look at the clock. 2:00 AM. "Eighteen hours?" We'd left her office around noon, and went to sleep right after.

"Hmm." She murmured. "Can I come?" Her eyes were still closed, and her hand was moving lazily on my bicep. _Can I come?_ God, if we got in the shower together…

I'm itching to touch her. _Move, Damon, move._

I wiggled out of her embrace, instantly missing it. Once I was out of the bed, I could think straight again. _Don't let her know what's going on in your head, act normal!_

I laughed a bit. "Oh Elena, I know you want to see me naked."

She sat up instantly, all traces of closed eyes and sleepy mind gone. Embarrassed, she corrected her earlier words. "I meant after you."

I smirked at her, and moved into her bathroom, stripping and getting in the shower. Once I turned the water a little colder than I usually liked, I heard Elena call my name from the bedroom.

"Damon?"

I poked my head out of the shower curtain. "Yeah?"

"How did I get in these clothes?"

Shit. She's probably going to be mad that I basically undressed her without her knowledge. But if there's one thing I know about Elena, it's that she values the truth.

I cleared my throat. "Um, I didn't want you to have to wake up in the clothes that…it happened in." When I didn't hear her respond, I kept going. "I'm really sorry; I mean I didn't look at you or anything. I just wanted to help"

She didn't say anything.

Damnit, I ruined everything. I finished up quick in the shower, and dried myself off, wrapping a towel around my waist. Here we go.

I opened the door to see Elena sitting on the bed, dwarfed by my shirt. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her shins. When the bathroom door opened, she looked up, and her face was stained with tears. I rushed over to her, kneeling down in front of her body. "Lena, I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me; I was just trying to…" I was cut off by arms and legs wrapping around my torso. Elena hugged me so tight the breath was squeezed out of me.

"Thank you, Damon. Thank you. That was the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." Her breath was hot in my ear, and her legs were wrapped around my waist, but I couldn't even think about the physical effect she had on me. She'd just thanked me for something any other woman would've given me hell for. This girl is something.

She fell asleep in my arms at around three o'clock, freshly showered. However, she kept my old shirt on, sliding in next to me, smelling like strawberries and shampoo. I stretched my arm out, letting her fit perfectly into my embrace. We both fell asleep right away, safe in each other's arms.

* * *

I woke up in the morning comfortable and content. Elena was warm next to me, and I'd slept for an insane amount of time, making up for many recent sleepless nights. My very happy silence was interrupted by an incessant buzzing coming from Elena's bedside table. I picked up my phone and glared at the screen. _Katherine._

Shit. I'd actually forgotten about her in the past day. Which is pretty much unacceptable, because she is my _girlfriend_.

Thankfully, Elena wasn't too tied up in me, and I extracted myself from her with ease. I looked at her sleeping form for a second, before I left the room to take Katherine's call.

"Where have you been!?" She screeched the second I picked up.

Geez. "Hello to you too."

"I don't even want to know where you were or what skank you were with." I was about to respond, but she cut me off. "You have tonight to make it up to me. And it better include an expensive dinner and amazing sex, or this relationship will not be working."

And with that, she hung up.

_Okay then._

When I turned around, I saw Elena leaning against her bedroom door frame, staring at me.

"Who was that?"

I put my phone back into my pocket. "Katherine."

Her face paled a little. "Oh." When I didn't say anything, she continued. "It's around eight. Do you want to go into work late?"

"No, Lena. I'm staying with you." I wasn't about to leave her alone after the worst day of her life.

"Damon. You can't protect me all of the time. You were my savior yesterday and everything I needed last night, but I have to be able to push on alone. And you have to be able to continue with your life."

"But I want to stay with you. I want to help."

She walked up to me, and cradled my face in her hands. "You did help, you are helping. I just don't want to become dependent on you. I know that you'll be there whenever I need you, but right now, I need to be alone."

I understood what she was saying, I did. But I still didn't want to leave her.

"Damon. Go."

I pulled her into a hug, and buried my face in the crook of her neck. She smelled so_ good_, and her hair was so soft. I didn't want to pull away, but I did. "You'll call me if you need anything?"

"Of course."

I traced her face with the pad of my thumb. She grabbed my hand and pulled it away from the warmth of her skin. "Go."

I had a bad feeling as I walked out of the door, making me think that leaving Elena wasn't going to end well.

* * *

**Elena**

I had to make Damon leave; if he had stayed I would've lost it, and spilled the secret that would ruin our friendship forever.

His tenderness almost surprised me. Damon's all about being manly and tough, but he's got a great heart under there. He's the kind of man that would jump in the water to pull out drowning cat or something. The kind of guy that would change my clothes in the middle of the night so I didn't have to wake up in the ones Klaus touched me in.

_He changed my clothes. _I looked under the collar of my shirt real quick. Good, I still had the same bra on from the night before. The bra that Klaus had put his hands all over, the one that he had squeezed my breasts through.

Shivers raced up my spine and I ripped the shirt over my head and clawed at my bra clasp, trying to get it off. I scratched my skin in the process of tearing the lace off of my chest. _Get it off! _

I threw the offensive thing on the floor and backed away from it, sliding down the nearest wall in only my underwear and sleep shorts. Crossing my arms over my bare chest, I walked back up the stairs and moved straight to the shower, shedding the underwear that Klaus had maimed with his fingers. I turned the water up as high as it would go, hoping the boiling temperature would scald his touch off of my skin. Klaus had touched me everywhere. His hands had slid over my bare legs, my stomach, my arms, _my inner thighs_.

I scrubbed harder, scouring my skin raw where it crawled with his touch. It was nearly thirty minutes later when I stepped out of the shower, my skin lobster red. I pulled on some fresh underwear, and went in search for a shirt. Finding nothing suitable, I remembered Damon's shirt laying on the floor ing my entryway. I tiptoed down the stairs in my underwear, and ran to grab the shirt off of the floor, putting it on, and letting the comfortable fabric skim my thighs.

The second the shirt was back on me, I felt safe again, like I was being engulfed by Damon. He made me feel fearless again, like I could take on anyone, like I could do anything. I felt beautiful and perfect. I felt unflawed, when I was surrounded by his scent and bombarded by images of his eyes. I felt brave.

I pushed back into my room and found some jeans, deciding to make my way over to Caroline's place to see how she was doing. Since she's moved here a little over a month ago, she resided in a cute little apartment right inside the city. I took the long way in order to avoid my office. I may be okay enough to drive, thanks to Damon, but I'm definitely not ready to see that place again. I'd only been to Caroline's place once before, and although I knew the building, the floor and the door number were very vague. After a lot of knocking and asking, I found number 409.

When the door opened, I saw two very confusing things at the same time. The first was Tyler Lockwood, and the second, was Caroline standing next to him, dressed only in a bathrobe.

_Okay, what? _

None of us moved for a second. Then Caroline glanced at Tyler, before addressing me. "Hey, Elena."

I started incredulously at both of them. Tyler looked like he was about to stretch out his hand, and then thought better of it, stuffing it back in his pants pocket. The same pants that he wore yesterday, which meant he'd spent the night. Well that helped explain Caroline's attire.

But she slept with a guy she barely knows right after she was raped? It doesn't add up, and neither of them are trying to explain the situation.

"So, what's going on here?"

Caroline giggled a little bit. "Oh my god! No! It's not like that! I didn't want to be alone, and he stayed with me."

I was confused. "Caroline. Didn't you just meet him yesterday?"

"Yeah, I did." She looked up at him. "But he was a perfect gentleman; I didn't want to go to sleep, so we stayed up all night and talked."

Tyler interjected. "Elena, I promise, I was just trying to be nice. I didn't want to leave your lovely friend here alone."

Caroline blushed a little bit when he said the word 'lovely'. _Oh no. _

But I remembered how sweet Tyler had been to both me and Caroline yesterday, taking care of us and Klaus. Caroline let him stay in her house after what happened, so she must have felt some sort of trust toward him.

Tyler looked at Caroline for affirmation, and then held the door open a little wider. "Would you like to come in?"

They looked like a married couple. I knew that Caroline got attached fast, but this was ridiculous.

* * *

**Damon**

I offered to pick Katherine up for our date, but she declined, telling me that she'd meet me at my favorite bar downtown. I slid into a stool and ordered bourbon, asking the kid behind the bar for Ric. Glancing around at the bar I'd felt at home in since I was 20, I waited for Ric, the owner, to come out from the back. He's a good friend, always has been, willing to help me pack in the booze and take home the girls. I knocked back my bourbon and thought about Elena. What have I turned into? An idiot that sits alone drinking and sobbing to thoughts of a girl? Thankfully, Ric moved into sight before my mind could dwell too much on my girl. My girl?

"Damon!" He called as he moved behind the bar. "Starting pretty early tonight, it's only five."

"I know I know. I'm waiting for Katherine."

Ric laughed and went to fill up my glass. "Ahh. The wicked bitch of the west."

"Hey, shut up. She isn't that bad."

He snorted. "Uh huh. Tell me one thing you like about her besides her body."

That was a tough one. I struggled for words, "Well…"

Ric just laughed when I couldn't come up with an answer.

I talked with Ric while I waited for Katherine to show up. He'd been married for three years now, and him and his wife, Jenna, were expecting their first baby. Ric's favorite thing to talk about was the baby, and all of our conversations ended with him acting as a proud father even though the baby was probably the size of a walnut. I couldn't imagine being a father right now. I needed the right girl and a good career and such before I could even think about something like that. Hell, I can barely take care of myself, let alone a baby. But I'd like it someday, I'll coach little league and go to soccer games and buy the golden retriever puppy all in due time.

Ric was telling me a story about Jenna attacking a sales person at _Babies R' Us_ when I interrupted him. "How did you know that you wanted to marry Jenna?"

He looked a little surprised at my outburst, but he answered anyway. "I realized that I didn't want to be without her ever again, and I wanted to wake up to her every morning. I'm in love with her."

"Oh."

He looked a little suspicious. "Why did you ask?"

I didn't know how much information that I wanted to reveal. "I don't know. I guess I just don't get how you would want to sleep with one girl for the rest of your life. I mean I wouldn't want to marry any of the girls that I've slept with."

He gave me an incredulous look. "Damon, have you ever been in love?"

"No."

"Seriously? Never?"

"Nope."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Well then you probably wouldn't understand."

"Tell me anyway."

I dropped the rag that he was using to wipe the counter.

"When you're in love, you are completely infatuated with the other person." He paused for a second. "I guess there's two parts to being in love, friendship and sex. If you're in love, you're best friends with your girl, she knows everything about you, and you know everything about her. You can share with each other and laugh easily, and you enjoy each other's company, you'd rather spend time with her over anyone else. And then there's the physical part. When you're in love, your girl is the most beautiful woman in the world. You don't even want to look at anyone else, because none of them can compare to her. You love touching her, and holding her hand. A brush of skin sends tingles through your body, and you have to restrain yourself from ripping her clothes off the second you see her. Sex with her is amazing, because the emotional connection mashes with the physical one."

He sighed a little bit. "I don't really know how to explain it to you Damon. You would protect her over everyone; kill anybody that tried to touch her. You want her to love you more than you want anything else. You start doing sappy things, like watching Titanic because she wants to. You put her needs above your own. She can take your breath away."

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. Everything that Ric had just told me clicked into place, everything that I'd been feeling finally made sense. I knew the answers to all of my questions, found the solutions to all of my problems. I finally made the connection.

_I'm in love with Elena._

* * *

**AN: AHH! So there we go! A couple of things that I think need to be addressed.**

**Damon is 25, and Elena is 24.**

**The characters aren't completely canon in this story. Elena is a lot less indecisive and Damon is a lot more timid emotionally. The Damon we know and love knows what he wants, and takes it. This Damon is alot more concerned with Elena's feelings toward him, and is a lot more insecure.**

**There we go! So I need to know what you guys thought! Tell me please! Loved it? Too sappy? What should happen next? Please leave me a review with your response!**

**Thank you so much!**

**Song: 23 - Jimmy Eat World**


	9. You're Everything I Have

**Damon**

_Shit_. This is not happening. But then again, maybe it is. I mean, Ric is madly in love with Jenna. It's really disgusting actually. They're all mushy and romantic, and he gets all googly-eyed when she walks in the room. So he's gotta know what he's talking about on some level.

But me? In love?

I don't do love. I do friendship, lust and sex, and that's all. And Elena of all people? No fucking way. I mean, yeah, Ric basically explained my whole head to me, but that doesn't really mean anything does it?

I must've been doing something highly strange with my mouth this whole time, because Ric started laughing at me as he refilled my glass.

"You made the connection yet?"

I furrowed my brow. "What connection?"

He put the bourbon back on the shelf behind him. "That you're in love with Elena."

_What?_ I choked and spit out my mouthful of alcohol on the bar. Ric sighed and picked up his rag again. "Nice one, man."

I didn't believe my own ears. "Say that again?"

He placed both of his hands on the counter and leaned towards me. "You. Are. In. Love. With. Elena."

I gave him an incredulous look. He continued. "Damon, are you serious? Right now is the first time that you've figured that out?"

I nodded mutely. Jesus, even Ric knew. How did he know before me?

He laughed a bit. "God, Damon. It's pretty obvious. Whenever I see you two together, you look at her like a lost puppy.

"Damn it Ric. I do not!" I almost chucked my glass at him.

He ducked behind the counter and gave me a victory grin. "Yes, yes you do."

Ric picked up the broom from the corner and waltzed around with it, crooning in a horrible falsetto. "When a man loves a woman!" He dropped his voice "Deep down in his soul…"

This time, I actually did throw my glass at him, narrowly missing a blonde sitting a few stools down from me.

"Shut up!" I hissed. He laughed at me before putting the broom back in its corner. Calling someone from the back to sweep up the broken glass on the floor, he poured me another drink. "So when'd you start wanting to bang Elena?"

Damn this guy.

"Like a month ago." I stuck my pointer finger inside of the glass and spun it on the countertop.

He gave me a look. "And why haven't you?"

_Is he a complete idiot?_ "Cause that would severely fuck things up?"

"You don't know that. Maybe she loves you too."

_No way_. "Elena does not love me, not like _that_ I mean."

Ric looked at me dubiously. "Did she tell you that?"

"No." I huff. "But I just know. We've been best friends since we were little, I would know if she had feelings for me. She's like my sister."

He raised his eyebrows. "So you want to fuck your _sister _senseless?"

"Oh, shut up. You know what I mean. Besides, she's far too good for the likes of me anyway."

"Whatever, man. To quote my wife, 'You'll never know till you try.'"

I laughed. "I'm pretty sure somebody said that before…"

I felt a hand slap on my shoulder. The pointy manicured nails dug into my skin and spun me around on my stool. "Let's go."

Katherine stood in front of me, looking like a stripper. Her curls looked crunchy and her make-up was caked on her face, with dark rings rimming her eyes. Her dress rested right below her ass, making her look like a common street whore. The plastic bags in her boobs didn't look too great either, and her chest was starting to sag.

"Hey." I turned back to Ric to pay my bill and she interrupted again. "Let's go, Damon!"

God, calm down will you! I slammed some bills on the counter and got up to meet Katherine, who had already stalked to the door. Ric gave me a sympathetic look and whispered across the bar. "Just go home!"

"I can't just leave her here! But Ric, has she always been this…awful?"

Katherine tapped her heel on the floor and shrieked at me across the bar. "Damon!"

I cringed. Ric answered. "Yeah. Seems like you've finally come to your senses."

Grimacing, I moved across the room and pushed Katherine out of the door in front of me. I caught Ric's eye as I closed the glass door behind me. He mouthed "Elena" at me, and then made kissing motions with his lips. I threw him the finger before I walked away.

Katherine had already found my car and was waiting impatiently in front of the passenger side door. Being the gentleman that I am, I unlocked the car manually on her side, and moved to open the door for her. However, she had other plans. She basically threw me out of the way and huffed as she hurled herself into the seat and almost took my arm off as she slammed the door.

_Okay then._

I got in on my side, and asked her where she wanted to go.

"You mean you haven't gotten reservations anywhere?"

"No, I thought we'd just go to..."

"Whatever." She interrupted. "We just won't eat."

"But…"

She snapped in front of my face. "No, buts. Let's just go to your place."

I put the car in drive and pulled into traffic without another word. _Has she always been such a bitch? And she doesn't even look good!_

I mean we are dating, but I didn't expect the whole "Honey, I'm home!" routine. A simple hello would have been nice, or maybe a "Hey, Damon" or even a "How are you doing?"

That's what dating is, right?

* * *

I drove past Elena's driveway right before I hit mine. Looking down the slope I could see her bedroom light on, though the rest of the house was dark. I'm about a football field away from her window, but I can see her small figure moving around in there. She looks like a little black Popsicle stick from this distance, but she still looks damn good.

Katherine's face snapped in front of my view. "Why are we stopping?"

Honestly, her screeching was threatening to make my ears bleed, she's so shrill. I visibly cringed, and resisted the urge to slap my hands on either side of my head.

Once I recovered, I answered her unwelcome question. "I was just checking something."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is that _Elena's_ house?"

I was a little surprised. "Yeah, it is. How'd you know?"

I'd told her a little bit about Elena, I mean she's really the closest thing I have to family. I haven't talked to Stefan in years, ever since that falling out, but I didn't think I told Katherine where she lived.

"Oh, you get chatty when you're drunk." She imitated my voice, "I love Elena, she's the only one that's ever been there for me, she saved me, she's my angel."

She sneered once she was done. "Didn't know you were such a wuss."

I was fuming, that was private! Even if I had been drunk, she didn't have to throw it back in my face!

"I'm _not_ a wuss."

She just laughed, "Oh, yes you are! Moaning your girlfriend's name in your sleep."

_What?_

Katherine threw herself against the seat, moaning. "Elena, oh Elena!"

"Shut the fuck up!" I didn't moan her name in my sleep. _Did I?_

I mean, yes, I'll admit, I've had the occasional dream about Elena, and by occasional I mean several times a night. But I didn't know that I was making my own soundtrack.

My knuckles are tight and white on the wheel, but Katherine keeps going. "After I got what I needed, you would just fall asleep. And that's when the fun started…"

I've never hit a girl, but I was about ready to start. How _dare_ she talk about Elena like that, like all she was to me was another fuck? Elena is so much more to me than that, she's…I don't know what she is.

I grabbed the steering wheel harder in order to keep my fist away from her made-up face. "I think you should go."

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Here? No thanks."

I realized we were still sitting in front of Elena's driveway. Katherine dragged her pointer finger down the side of my face. "I'd rather stay here."

She popped the top button of my shirt, but I pushed her hand away. "Katherine," I warned.

Her fingers moved farther down my chest, and she whispered in my ear. "Just pretend it's her."

And for a second, I could. Her fingers moved farther down and palmed me, and I took deep breath. I could see Elena's beautiful face, those eyes looking up at me, her mouth curving into a smile, those warm little hands driving me crazy. She keeps one hand on me, while the other moves up to cup my face and pull me in for a kiss. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her onto my lap, relishing in the feel of her warm lips on mine. She unbuttons my shirt, and her warm palms explore my chest, and then…

Katherine's back. Her mouth doesn't fit, and her nails are scraping my skin. I pushed her off of my lap, and she laughs a little bit, looking at my lap. I'm still rock hard with the image of Elena in my head. But the second Katherine reaches out, not so much. I'm repulsed with the thought of her touch.

I put the car in drive again and pull into the nearest shopping center. I don't know why I messed with this girl. She's not what I want. She's not who I want. She can't give me what I need.

Leaning over her body, I open her door. "Out."

"But Damon…" She whined.

"You know what Katherine? I'm done with you. I don't even know what I saw in you in the first place. You're selfish, you're cruel, and you're fake. Just get out of my car."

She huffed and balanced on her stilettos, "But, how'll I get home? I don't have any money."

"Oh, you've never had a problem being a whore. Don't let it stop you now."

I reached over the seat, closed the door, and went home to Elena.

* * *

I pulled down her driveway, and let myself in to the house. Elena's light was still on in her window, but I couldn't guarantee that she was still awake; she often fell asleep while she was reading. Closing the door behind me, I made my way to the stairs in the dark, used to it after all these years. I went up the steps and quietly walked into her bedroom. She'd fallen asleep with her book in her hands. Her body was only half covered by her sheet and a whole bare leg stuck out from under the covers. Her hair spread out over her pillow and her face looked so peaceful.

I moved over to her and gently pried the book from her fingers, dog earing her page and setting it on her nightstand. She shifted a little, and a small smile broke out on her face. I smiled with her, hoping that whatever dream she was having was one she would tell me about in the morning.

_Oh God. That's such a mushy thing to say!_

I stripped off my shirt and decided to take my jeans off too; sleeping in them has never been comfortable. Slipping into my side of the bed, I looked at Elena for a second, before I realized that her bedside lamp was still on. _Damn it._

I reached over Elena's body, trying not to touch her and jolt her out of her dreams, but I couldn't quite reach it. Just a little bit farther. I moved my fingers a few centimeters forward, and I could feel the plastic of the turning switch but I couldn't work it. As I tried to grasp the knob, my upper body slipped. My chest and my arm collapsed on top of Elena, jerking her out of her sleep.

I could feel her whole body tense for a split second with the weight before she reacted. She threw her muscle into my arm, springing her knees to her chest and then ramming them into my body.

"Elena!"

Her eyes found mine and she visibly relaxed. "Damon! God, I'm so sorry, I thought you were…him."

She broke eye contact with me, and looked away. I grabbed her chin and gently brought her face back to mine. "Lena, it's okay."

And then I realized where we were. I was still slightly on top of her, and our faces were a mere inch apart. Her breath was warm on my face, and her eyes were fixated on my mouth. I could kiss her. Right now, I could kiss her. I could take her in my arms and kiss her senseless, ruin her for any other man. I could kiss her, and make her mine. I could kiss her, I could love her.

But then I remember. That Elena doesn't love me; that she's far too perfect for the likes of me. So I move away from her, and scoot to the other side of the bed, leaving a good foot of space between us. But she's still pulling me to her, like a magnet. All I want to do is get back over there and rip her clothes off.

But I won't. I'm better than that, because all of my life she's been pushing me to be the better man. She looks at me with those eyes though, and it makes her even harder to resist.

"Hey." She tucks her hand under her pillow while she speaks, moving so were parallel to each other.

"Hey."

The light is shining behind her, and I swear it's giving her a fucking halo. She's an angel.

"Why are you here?"

When I didn't answer she pressed farther. "What about Katherine?"

I frowned, I'd forgotten all about her till now, which just proves the difference between her and Elena. I haven't been able to keep Elena off of my mind for a month, and Katherine left my head after a few minutes.

"I dumped her." Elena gives me a weird look, like she's trying to hold in a smile. "It's okay, you can be happy about it; I know you didn't like her."

She let out a laugh, and gave me a smile. "I just didn't think she was the one for you."

_Got that right_. "What do you mean?"

She looked at me for a second before she answered. "I don't know, she just doesn't fit with you. And you can do so much better."

As usual, Elena's praise makes me smile. "I can?"

She rolls her eyes, "Of course you can. Are you kidding? Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Well thanks Lena."

"So what happened?" I'd already forgotten about Katherine…again.

"She drove me crazy, and not in a good way." I laughed. "The sex was good, but the rest wasn't."

Elena cringed and looked uncomfortable. "How many times did you sleep with this girl?"

I sighed. "More times than I've ever slept with anyone else, let's just leave it at that."

She settled even closer to me. I don't know if she was doing it on purpose, but her heat was sending blood straight south. "How can you do that, sleep with all of those girls?"

I pulled a smirk. "Well Elena, you put Tab A into Slot B and then…"

She whacked my arm. "You know what I mean, you ass."

"Well I guess some of us aren't like you. We don't want the true love and the happily ever after."

"_Some_ people might not, but _you _do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

But I did. How did she even know that? I paused for a second. "How do you figure that?"

"You love having heartfelt talks when you're drunk." She giggled.

"Oh, shut up!" I took a pillow and hit her with it. Elena laughed and pummeled my chest lightly with her fists.

I grabbed both of her hands in mine and trapped her where she was. "There was one more thing I wanted to ask you. I don't have a date to the fundraiser thing this Saturday."

"Isn't that like in three days?"

"Yes ma'am, it is."

"There's no way Klaus will be there right?"

I moved her hair out of her face. "No, love. He's locked up, and he will be for a very very long time. He can't hurt you."

She took a deep breath. "Well then yes, Damon. I would love to go with you."

I almost breathed a sigh of relief, but I remembered to keep it inside. "Excellent."

Elena smiled and turned off the light. But she was hesitant to meld into me like she usually did.

"Hey. Come here." After my encouragement, she moved toward me and snuggled into my chest.

"Don't let him get me okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

**AN: Okay, I know. I'm getting super sappy, but I don't really care! Thank you so much for reviewing!**

**Thoughts? Liked it? What should the fundraiser be like? Should this be the last of Katherine? And most importantly, what should Elena's dress look like?**

**Song: Angel with a Shotgun - The Cab**


	10. Wake Up, It's Time

**AN: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I love them all!**

* * *

**Elena**

I looked into the mirror on Friday morning, and almost gasped at my reflection. The yellow dress hugged my curves perfectly and accentuated my breasts. Corset-like ribbing framed my torso, while the flowing fabric created an elegant knot in the front. The hue contrasted terrifically with my skin tone, and the gauzy material flowed gracefully down to my feet.

This is the dress! I know that I'm not getting married or anything, but I can't help but feel the tears well up in my eyes. It's perfect!

Caroline emerged from the dressing room to the right of the mirror. She looked like a goddess. The sea foam green brought out the accents in her eyes, and the cut was perfect. Tyler wouldn't be able to keep his hands away! I opened my mouth to praise her, only to see her lips part in surprise. She looked like she was about to faint.

"Care! Are you okay?"

My words seemed to pull her out of her stupor. "Yeah. Yes. I'm fine. But Elena, you look…"

As Caroline searched for a word to complete her sentence, I started to doubt my choice and my instincts. Maybe the dress wasn't as good as I thought it was. Now that I think about it, the yellow could be a little too bright. How much cleavage is considered scandalous?

"…perfect." Caroline's voice startled me out of my criticisms.

I took a deep breath and looked at myself again. "You really think so?"

"I know so!" Caroline walked a circle around me, assessing all aspects of the gown. "I think you could go with some nude pumps, and if we curl your hair and pull it back a bit…"

She continued to ramble on about makeup and gold versus bronze jewelry, while I just stared at myself in the mirror. Would Damon like the dress? God, I'm so nervous. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn't shut up. It was an official date, he asked me to a dance with him. And his father would be there, which mad me nervous, especially after the comment he made to me on the phone a while back. The last thing I wanted was Giuseppe to ruin my evening with Damon.

I looked into the mirror again and twirled around on my own, watching the fabric swirl around my legs. Caroline gave me a smile of approval, and I smiled back. Things were looking up.

* * *

I'd bought the dress, and the accompanying accessories that Caroline suggested earlier this morning. Now, I sat on my couch at home, freshly showered, nothing to do but to watch my hair dry. There were five hours till the time Damon reserved for picking me up and I sat in nervous anticipation. It was way too early to start getting dressed, and I needed my hair to dry before I curled it anyway. But sitting here and doing nothing was killing me.

Knowing I had a late night ahead of me, I decided to try and take a nap, hoping to push away my anxiety for a little while. I turned on my stomach and lay with my in the pillows, giving my hair as much room as possible to dry. But nothing could keep my mind from running away with itself.

It had been three days since the night that Damon stayed over, leaving in the morning after untangling himself and kissing me on the cheek. What is with him and kissing me on the cheek? Every time he does, my head wants to turn and capture his lips with mine. But I'll take what I can get.

He felt so good in the morning, despite my little freak out the night before. Granted, he'd seen me at my worst, but I still felt bad for my body's instant reaction to his. I woke up with my head nuzzled in his chest, his arms around my torso, and his legs intertwining with mine. His breathing was slow and steady, and I spent the time before he woke up memorizing the way his muscles rose and fell with every inhale and exhale. He is so perfect; the lines of his body are completely mesmerizing. If he was mine, I would touch him all the time, trace him with my hands, and never let him forget how amazing he is. But he isn't mine, so I have to resort to staring for now.

If only that morning had gone differently, if only I had told him the truth. "Damon. I love you. I'm in love with you."

He would look at me with those beautiful blue eyes and exclaim that he was in love with me too, that he's waited years for me to say those words. Our bodies would tangle together and he would kiss me, and kiss me, and kiss me.

I woke up to the sound of someone pounding on my front door. I sat up with a start, thinking that Damon was here; before I remembered that Caroline was coming over to get ready with me. She never went to prom when she was in high school, her grandmother passed away and her family had to go to the funeral, halfway across the country, leaving her in black instead of something sparkly. Caroline wanted to do the whole shebang, the dress shopping together, getting ready beforehand, riding there in a limo, for the fundraiser, so she could have prom a few years too late. She'd already dragged me shopping, insisting that I needed the perfect dress so I could impress Damon, and now she was banging at my door ready for makeup and gossip.

I pulled myself off of the couch, disappointed to be leaving my own personal sanctuary. Caroline bounded into the front hall once I opened the door, he curious eyes taking in everything I owned. She had never been in my house before, and to be honest, I was a little nervous to have her here. Other than Damon, no one besides me had stepped over the threshold for years.

Caroline fingered the antique lamp on a side table, and gazed at the family picture that sat next to it. My mom and dad were holding hands, Jeremy was on my father's shoulders, and I had my arms wrapped around my mom in a hug.

Caroline looked back at me. "Family?"

The pang hit my chest immediately, I felt as though someone were hitting me in the heart, as I always do at the mention of the people I have lost. But I am stronger now; I can handle a simple conversation about things that are gone. In the past month, Caroline has become a good friend to me, and her exuberance and kindness has brought me out of my state of depression. I know how to have fun, how to laugh again, things that I had only been able to do around Damon. Slowly, I'm becoming myself again, and Caroline was a major instrument in my metamorphosis. She deserves the truth, and I owe it to myself to tell her. The ache isn't gone, and the gaping hole hasn't closed, but I'm feeling a little bit more whole.

"Yeah." I move closer to her, pointing at the faces as I gave them names. "That's my mom and dad, me, and my brother Jeremy."

Caroline stared at them for a moment. "You don't talk about them much."

"They passed away when I was fifteen."

She looked a little stricken, like she had no clue what to say. "You look like her, your mom."

I smiled at that, it was a compliment I would never get tired of hearing. "Thanks Care."

Grabbing her hand, I pulled her away from my past and into my bedroom so that we could begin to pretty up for our big night. Caroline looked around my room and smiled, before her eyes caught the edge of fabric sticking out from the bottom of the bed. Running over, she plucked it from the floor. It was a black V-neck of Damon's, he must have left it and I never noticed. It was no big deal but Caroline thought differently.

"Oh my god! Whose is this?"

I laughed. "Care, Damon must've left it…"

"What?" She screeched. "Damon slept in here?"

"Yeah, he stays over a lot because…"

She interrupted again. "He _stayed_ over? Are you guys having sex? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No! No, it's just something we do. He just comes over and cuddles with me."

"And you keep telling me that he's _not_ in love with you!"

_Wait, what?_ "He's not!"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Honey, if a man is cuddling with you without having sex first, there are definitely feelings there."

_No way_. It's not like I've cuddled with a ton of guys, it's only been Damon, and so I wouldn't know. But that doesn't have to be true right? Damon's just a nice guy, and we _are _really good friends, so it's only natural that we would surpass those boundaries. Yet Caroline does have a freakish amount of knowledge about the male species. Could she be right? No. There was no way that it was true. Damon has no feelings for me. I would know if he did.

"We're really good friends Caroline. We're basically the same person; it's only natural that we would have no problem sharing a bed with each other."

She shook her head, and pulled her oversized makeup bag out of her purse. I was ready to change the subject. "So the guys will be here at seven…"

"Let's go then!"

I started to curl my hair, while Caroline squeezed into the bathroom next to me and started applying her makeup. Times like these made me want a sister, someone to talk about boys with, someone to argue about bathroom space with. We put on some music, and Caroline kept hip bumping me, making me laugh.

"So, what's the deal with you and Tyler?"

Caroline blushed a little bit. "I don't know. I mean we only officially met four days ago, but we already know each other so well. That night he stayed with me was like, magical." She smiled. "I like him a lot."

"Are you sure you're not moving a little…fast?"

"We haven't kissed or anything, we've just been spending time together. He asked me to come to the fundraiser with him though, which is amazing, because he has all these beautiful girls fawning over him all the time."

"Oh please! Caroline Forbes, you are ten times more gorgeous than any of those women. Any guy would kill himself to be with you."

She snaked her arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze. "Thanks Elena!"

I finished the last curl, and backed up from the mirror, examining the sides of my head. My hair fell over my shoulders in ringlets. I pulled it to the side and pinned it in a loose chignon, letting the curls spill out.

We switched places so that Caroline could do her hair. "So, are you excited to see Damon?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like this will be the first time I've ever seen him Care."

"I know, but this is kind of different right? It's like a date almost."

"Ugh! I wish. He probably just sees it as a friend thing. Don't get my hopes up."

I perfected my makeup as she spoke. "You never know. Maybe this is the night. Maybe he'll wake up and realize that he's in love with you. And then you can have sloppy wedding sex, except not at a wedding!"

"I wish!"

Caroline started bumping her hips in to mine, singing at the top of her lungs. "Elena's gonna have sex! And it's gonna feel so good! When she lets Damon put his penis inside her!"

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. "Stop! Stop!"

"She's gonna have sex and she'll never go back! To the not-having-sex with Damon ways of the past!" She dissolved into giggles.

"Care, I totally hate you!" I laughed. She wiped under her eyes, making sure her makeup hadn't smeared. "But seriously though. You totally want to have sex with him!"

"Of course I do, but you don't have to sing about it!"

What if I did have sex with Damon tonight? I mean, it won't happen, but theoretically…would I be ready? I mean I know the basics. But…

"Care?"

She looks at me in the mirror. "Uhuh?"

"Does it hurt? The first time?"

I'd told her about my embarrassing virgin waiting-for-Damon thing. "It does, but only a little."

"That's what Damon said, but he's not a girl, so…"

"Wait, you talked to Damon about it?"

"Yeah. So?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around your friendship. It's like you're married, without the sex."

"I guess." I fiddled around with my makeup brush. "What if I'm really bad?"

"What? In bed?" She turned to face me. "Honey, if your first time is with Damon, it will be perfect for you. You're in love with him, and he'll be in love with you. You just need to show him your love and pleasure him the best you can."

"I don't even know how to do that!" I'm freaking out about something that will never happen!

"Elena, you'll be fine! It's just so…hard to explain." She turned back to the mirror. "All I know, is that when two people love each other as much as you and Damon, you won't be having sex, you'll be making love. Just let him take the lead."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Sorry for my freak out."

"Don't worry about it." She finished her hair, and took a look at both of us in the mirror. Our makeup was flawless, and our hair was done, but I wore one of Damon's shirts, and Caroline had on sweat pants, which kind of ruined the whole image. I smiled at our reflection. "Time to get dressed!"

Caroline's excitement was back and she basically dragged me to the bed where both of our dresses still laid in their garment bags. I slowly unzipped mine, already feeling the butterflies welling in my stomach. _I would be wearing this dress the whole night with Damon. _

I pulled the gown out of the bag and pulled it on, letting the fabric graze my body. Caroline came to zip me up and I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

A stranger stared back at me. Her hair was off of her neck, and her eyes shone with excitement. The yellow dress clung to her curves. She looked beautiful. And she was me!

Caroline came up next to me and asked me to zip her. I did, and we turned to look in the mirror, standing side by side. She looked stunning and I told her so.

"Thanks Elena, you do too! Now we need our shoes!"

Soon we were standing a few inches taller, and we were complete. I reached for Caroline's hand and held it tight. "Thanks for being my friend. I don't know what I would do without you!"

She looked like she was about to cry. I laughed and hugged her. "Don't cry! It's a compliment!"

"I know, I know! Sorry. You're welcome, you've become like a sister to me as well."

Even though I had lost my biological family, I felt as if I could make one on my own. Damon and Caroline were my family now.

We were still hugging when we heard the knock on the door. Caroline flew into a frenzy. "Oh my god! They're here!"

I laughed at her excitement and called down the stairs. "Just come in!"

The front door opened and Caroline let out a squeal.

"Stay down there!" I yelled. I looked at Caroline. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. I belted down the stairs again. "We're coming down!"

I grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her out of my room, leading her to the top of the steps. I took a deep breath. Damon is down there. I'm so nervous to see him, for him to see me. What if he doesn't like my dress? Oh god, the butterflies are back.

I heard Damon's voice float up from the bottom of the stairs. "We can't wait!"

The second I heard his voice my body calmed down. I grabbed Caroline's hand. "Ready?"

She grinned at me. "Let's go."

We took the steps one at a time, slowly revealing ourselves to the men below us. When I could see to the bottom of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of Damon. He wore a fitted black tux that outlined his body perfectly. The black in the fabric and the black in his hair contrasted with the icy blue of his eyes. He was easily the most attractive man I'd ever seen on a normal day, but right now I was convinced that he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on. His face broke into a brilliant smile, and I had no choice but to follow suit. I moved down the last couple of steps and Damon walked to meet me. He took my hand in his and gently pressed his lips to the back of it, never taking his eyes off of mine. Sparks ran through my veins at the contact of his lips on my skin. He took the other hand as well, and stepped closer to me, our entwined palms the only thing keeping our bodies from pressing against one another. His gaze traced my features, and then rested on my eyes again.

"Lena, you look absolutely stunning."

God, I am so nervous! Why? I've known this man practically my whole life, he's my best friend and my protector. And I'm also completely in love with him. I'm practically melting at the touch of his hands. The butterflies in my stomach are relentless, and my heart is screaming for me to kiss him.

"Thank you," I breathe. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He laughs deep in his throat. It's the sexiest sound I've ever heard. I swallow hard and look straight into his eyes, only to find that his blue ones are already fixated on me. His hands are still clasping mine, and both of his thumbs are rubbing my skin, sending fire shooting through me with every rotation of his fingers. I can't look away, those eyes have kept me going so many times, I feel safe in them. Damon moves a fraction closer to me, something he probably did unconsciously, but my body felt every movement, and the air between us crackled with electricity. If I moved a tiny bit, our chests would be touching. He releases one of my hands and moves to cup my face. Instinctively, I gently leaned into his hand, feeling the warmth spread throughout my body. We're sharing air, breathing in each other. He moves even closer and our chests touch and I gasped at the contact. The butterflies in my stomach are trying to break free. _He's so close to me. Is he going to kiss me? God, I want him to kiss me._

"Guys?" Caroline's voice breaks our moment, and Damon takes a step back, leaving my body cold. It takes me a minute to remember what's going on, but then I see Caroline in her dress, holding hands with Tyler Lockwood. _Wait. Holding hands? What happened to taking it slow?_

Wow, I am such a prude. Holding hands is not going too far. Even so, I catch Caroline's eye and pointedly stare at their interlocked hands. She looks at me in response, and runs her gaze between Damon and me.

Tyler interrupted our silent conversation unknowingly. "Are you girls ready to go?"

Caroline snagged her clutch from the table and smiled up at him. "All set."

He looked at me for confirmation. I threw in some enthusiasm. "Hell yes!"

Damon grinned and placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the door after Caroline and Tyler. He halted behind me to lock and check the door, just like the gentleman he is. I smiled at him when he walked back toward me.

He gave me a questioning look. "What?"

"Oh nothing!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way to the_ limousine_ that was waiting for us on the curb. Sliding in, I admired the beautiful interior; I could easily live in here. Damon came in after me and shut the door behind him, sitting right next to me, even though there was enough room for a football team to sit comfortably. Caroline and Tyler started up a conversation, and Damon and I joined in. Our thighs were touching, as were our arms. I finally felt warm.

* * *

**Damon**

This girl had no idea what she's doing to me. I was already anxious enough; I mean I know things now that I didn't know before, which changed our whole situation. Now, I want her, I love her, and she doesn't love me back.

When she walked down the stairs in that dress, she was easily the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She looked mouthwatering, the fabric hugging her curves. I wanted to grab her and make her mine, rip the dress off of her body and praise her with kisses.

I got so close to her before Barbie interrupted. I could feel her face in my hands. I convinced myself later that her breath picked up when I touched her.

I wanted to kiss her. I was fucking going to kiss her.

We moved into the limo, and she was pressed against me, making my pants slightly uncomfortable. And she kept giving me these sweet little smiles, ones that I have to return. I'll have to make her see that she needs to be with me, tonight.

* * *

**Elena**

We arrived and Damon helped me out of the limo and walked me up to the doors. The hotel was beautiful from the outside, but the interior was even more perfect than I had imagined when I put the party together. I'd almost forgotten that I had planned this event for Klaus. _Klaus._

I'd been able to keep him out of my mind recently, mostly because there was no room for anyone other than Damon up there. But now he invaded my head again, his hands racing up my legs and grabbing my breasts. I drew in a sharp breath at the memory of his body caging mine. Damon's arms encircled my waist. "Lena? Are you okay?"

I stayed in his arms a little longer than necessary. "I'm fine; I was just remembering…_him_."

He pulled my face up to his. "Hey. Try to put him out of your mind okay? We're going to have a great night."

"I know."

Just then, a server came up to us. "Miss Gilbert?"

"Yes?"

"There's a little bit of a problem with the money for the caterers, I was told to find you?"

"I'll come with you in just a minute." I turned back to Damon. "Can I leave you for a couple minutes?"

"Sure. Just come back."

* * *

**Damon**

Elena walked away from me, her perfect body swaying in her dress. _Damn_. She's gorgeous. I ambled over to the bar and ordered bourbon while I waited for her to return from her party planner duties. Women of all ages milled around me, trying to catch my eye, flaunting their breasts and hiking their dresses up their bodies. I mean, I know I'm attractive, but some girls go to extreme lengths to get _my _length.

None of them can compare to my girl though. They don't have olive skin and big brown eyes, the long silky chocolate hair, the perfect ten figure, legs that go on for miles, the sweet smile, the sassy remarks, the altogether perfection. A girl with blonde hair plops down on the stool next to me, and I quickly assess her. Pretty face, blue eyes, okay figure. She would be a perfect candidate for the Damon Salvatore Bed Buddy Program. Normally, I would pounce, give her a compliment or two and take her to bed. But now, she's not what I want. Having random sex with a stranger repulses me actually. _Did I just say that?_

The blonde babbles about herself for a while, but I'm not really listening. I'm watching a beauty in a yellow dress talk to an attractive guy all the way across the floor. _Who is that guy? Why the fuck is Elena talking to him?_

She throws her head back in laughter at something he said, and he takes the opportunity to stare openly at her breasts. I'm so angry; I almost shatter my glass on the counter. How dare he look at my girl like that? He reaches out his hand and gives it a kiss before leading her onto the dance floor. Like she would fall for that cheesy stuff, I mean his form was all wrong…

Elena smiles and presses her perfect body up against his, letting him guide her to the music. I can't contain my jealousy. That should be me!

She gives the mystery man a smile, looking him like he's the center of the world. I growled and grabbed the blonde by the wrist.

"Ow! What are you doing?" She squeaks.

"We're going dancing!"

* * *

**AN: So we're getting somewhere!**

**If you wanna see a picture of Elena's dress, search: Emmanuel Ungaro Yellow Gown**

**Review please!**

**Song: Losing Your Memory - Ryan Star**


	11. You Are My Heaven

**AN: Thank you so much for keeping with me this far, I love each and every one of your reviews! Without further ado...**

* * *

**Damon**

I stormed on to the dance floor with my new friend, trying to remember her name. It started with a _M_ I think. _Mary? Maddie? Missy? _Missy, that was it!

I grabbed her hand roughly and pushed through the happy couples towards Elena. She was really close to that tool, and he had his hands on her waist. _On her waist!_ There was barely any room between their bodies, and I wanted to punch him for being so handsy with my girl.

She was smiling and looking up at him adoringly, like he was the fucking sun or something. And he was smiling right back, letting his eyes wander over her body.

I was beyond pissed, he had no right to hold her. He had no right to even look at her! I grabbed Missy by her waist and ground her into me. Mistaking it for arousal and passion, the girl pushed into me, her hands resting on my biceps. She ran her fingers through my hair, obviously trying to get my attention, to get me to take her home. I had hoped that meaningless sex would take my mind off of Elena, like it did for other things. But her hands felt wrong, and her body fit all weird. She was too forward, and her body was doing nothing pleasurable to mine.

Elena and the tool were a few meters away from us, and I could see them dancing the way that _we_ should be dancing, tightly pressed together and my hands all over her body.

And in a split second, the atmosphere changed. Elena looked over and her eyes connected with mine. There was fire between us, electricity. I wanted to go to her, to drop the slut in my arms and whisk her away. And I was about to.

But then, her brown eyes broke from mine and moved to the blonde who was running her hands inside my dress suit, which was completely inappropriate for the current setting. Elena's eyes turned harsh at the sight of Missy, and she moved a little closer to the tool in response, her hand edging from his shoulder to his neck. She gave me a challenging stare, daring me to pull the girl closer. I was never one to refuse a challenge.

* * *

**Elena**

Who is this fucking slut that has her hands all over my man? I want to march over there and rip out her hair, and then get in Damon's arms where I belong. Honestly, I was a little disappointed that he was talking to someone else when we came here together.

I came out of the back room and saw him at the bar with the slut, talking and looking up and down her body. The pangs of jealousy hit me instantly. Who was I kidding? He might have wanted to come here with me, but he didn't want _me._ I sighed a little, mentally preparing myself for watching him go home with another girl, when someone bumped into my back.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am," a voice spoke from behind me.

I turned around; looking at my dress to make sure nothing had spilled on it. "It's totally okay, don't…"

I looked up into a very familiar face. The man gave me a questioning look before a broad smile broke out on his face. "Elena?"

"Liam? What are you doing here?"

He chuckled a little at my amazement. "You booked my restaurant to cater, remember? I was asked to oversee everything."

Damn it, he's right. I'd totally forgotten. He looked handsome, not as good as Damon, but still pretty good. I gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind. What can I do to repay you?"

He smiled. "I think I can think of something. Miss Elena, would you dance with me?"

I laughed and took his hand, letting him lead me on to the dance floor. At least I could have some fun with a friend while my heart is being ripped in two across the room.

Liam placed a hand on my back and pulled me into a waltz. We kept up polite conversation, and I almost forgot about Damon for a moment. This is what I was supposed to have, a nice boy who would treat me right. But when Liam's hand touched mine, there was no sparks, and when his body accidently brushed mine, my heart rate didn't speed up.

Suddenly, Damon crashed through the crowd dragging the slut with him. He sidled up alongside Liam and me and pulled her tight to his body. Her hands were running everywhere, and jealousy flared up in the pit of my stomach. I should be touching him! He'd known the girl for five minutes, and her hands were already exploring places I'd only dreamed of caressing.

I was busy examining the little space between the slut and the love of my life when my eyes caught Damon's. His eyes were icy, and the connection he created between us sparked with energy.

I looked back over at the girl that was running her hands over his shirt, and pushing her lower body into his. The jealousy over took me again, but this time, I stood up to it. If Damon was going to leave me alone, and dance with someone else, then I could at least try to have a good time. I pressed myself a little closer to Liam, letting him hold me a little tighter. He might not be Damon, but every girl deserves a good dance every once in a while.

* * *

**Damon**

I grabbed Missy and started to caress her neck, and in turn, Elena moved her hands to the man's chest. She was getting even closer to him, and there was only a thin layer of fabric between their bare skins. From where I was, I could see the tool's look of surprise, but he recovered quickly, moving one hand dangerously low on her back. She gave him an almost seductive smile, and I could feel my pants growing tighter with the image of her looking at me. The girl in my arms smiled, feeling pleased with herself, thinking she was the reason for my excitement. Her hands traveled down to the waistband of my pants and I was completely disgusted. If anything, her body helped me calm down, but she didn't know that.

Elena saw Missy's movements and immediately retaliated, pressing her lower body even closer to his. The look on his face became almost carnal with desire, and his hands traced her hipbones. And then he did the unthinkable. He took Elena's chin and pulled her in for a kiss.

No way in _hell _was this fucking tool going to kiss my girl!

I dropped the whore in my arms and ran over to Elena, breaking her out of his embrace. Grabbing her by the wrist, I pulled her out of the ballroom and into the lobby, leaving very confused dance partners in our wake.

Elena rushed along behind me as I stormed through the crowd. "Damon! What the hell are you doing?"

"We're going upstairs."

I couldn't even think straight, images of her with another man were haunting my memory. It was something I never wanted to see again. And her skin was so warm and soft under mine. Realizing that my grip was a little tight, I eased up and moved to hold her hand. I pulled her up the grand staircase near the entrance, moving towards the elevators. Booking a room was something that I always did at these type of events. It was good to have somewhere to crash, with a girl, or alone. And today, I might have been hoping to take Elena up there honestly. I wanted her more than I've wanted any other woman, and I wouldn't be able to call myself a man if I didn't want to ravage her.

But things were different with Elena, she wasn't just some whore to take one night and leave in the morning. I wanted her for more than that.

Elena's hand became pliant in mine, and I couldn't help but feel all sappy and mushy inside. I've never really held hands with a woman before, and I have to admit that I liked it. Her warm palm clasped mine as I pulled her into an elevator, quickly pushing the button designated for the 12th floor.

As the doors closed, Elena and I stood in silence. I wanted to tell her everything, that I loved her, that I wanted her, that I hated seeing anyone else touching her, that I was _in_ love with her. But I was too scared. Telling her would mess everything up. She would run away from me and our whole friendship would be ruined; I would lose my family.

* * *

**Elena**

Damon was holding my hand. _Damon was holding my hand!_

His hands were warm in mine, and my stomach was erupting with butterflies. But of course he had to ruin it. Damon tugged his hand out of my grasp, and I immediately felt lost.

The elevator doors dinged open, and Damon placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me down a lavish hallway.

"Damon? Where are we going now?"

He fumbled with something in his pants pocket. "My hotel room."

_His hotel room?_ "Wait, you have a room here?"

"Where else would you suggest I take my women?"

_Ouch. So I'm just a 'woman' now. Great_. Upon seeing my facial expression, his eyes softened. "That's not what I meant, Lena. I usually book a room when I go to these type of events. It's a perfect place to go if I need to get away, or if I'm enjoying…female company."

Damon stopped at a door and whisked it open, ushering me through the threshold. The interior is beautiful, filled with white, and a large bathroom is situated off to the side. The biggest bed I've ever seen sits in the middle, it looks so comfortable, and I wouldn't mind using it for sleep, or something else…

He closed the door behind us and motions to a seating area. I take a seat in an armchair, arranging my dress around me. Damon sits opposite, his black suit setting off his beautiful body against the white fabric.

The room is nice and everything, but why were we up here? "Damon…"

He interrupted me. "Hold on. Let me think for a minute."

I waited with my hands in my lap, and watched Damon. He had his face in his hands, which let me study the curves of his body freely. He looked gorgeous, like he always did. Finally, Damon lifted his head, letting me my favorite part of him, the blue in his eyes.

He hesitated before speaking. "Do you know what I want Elena?"

_No I don't, but I wish I did._ I didn't really know what to say, but thankfully, Damon continued before I had to answer. "I want to change."

There was something interesting. "You do?"

He looked up at me, and his eyes conveyed his uneasiness. "I do. I don't want to live like this anymore."

"Like what Damon? You have an amazing life."

"But I don't Elena. I don't. I don't have what I want."

I waited for him to elaborate, to tell me what he wanted, but he stayed silent. We'd had conversations like this before, but only when he was drunk. From his mannerisms, I could tell that he was sober, and therefore, I was a little confused about where this was going, but I was willing to let him take his time. It's not like I had a date to get back to or anything.

He still wasn't speaking, and his head was in his hands again.

"What do you want, Damon?" I asked softly.

"I know what I _don't_ want. I don't want to sleep with a different woman every night. I don't want to be afraid of my father. I don't want to be alone."

My heart broke at his tone, and I leapt off of the chair and knelt in front of him. "You're not alone Damon. You have me."

He looked up sharply. "But I don't have you do I?"

A beat passed. _What?_

He continued. "I kind of have something to tell you."

_Oh God_. Damon grabbed my hand and pulled me to sit next to him. He smiled a little wistfully at me, and spoke again. "I like holding your hand."

I had no words. _What was he saying?_

"I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I shouldn't want to touch you. I shouldn't want to hold you. I shouldn't want to kiss you. But I do!"

_What? Is he saying what I think he's saying_? My heart is racing, and I'm itching to touch him. _Is he…?_

"I'm in love with you, and I don't know what to do about it! I want to be with you and I can't, because I know that you don't feel the same way and…"

_Wait. Rewind for a second. 'I'm in love with you.' Did Damon Salvatore just tell me that he was in love with me? _ I must have heard him wrong. "Damon, what are you saying?"

He jumped off of the couch and moved to a nearby dresser, resting his hands on the surface and hanging his head. "I can't believe I feel this way when it's obvious that you'll never love me back! I think about you all the time! I want to be with you, I want to live forever with you. Why do I always want what I can't have!" He smashed his hands into the wood, and hung his head silently.

_Damon Salvatore is in love with me? Damon Salvatore is in love with me! Oh my god! _ I've been waiting for this moment for so long, but now that it's here, I don't know what to do. I want to run over to him and tell him that he's wrong, that I'm completely in love with him, that I will love him forever, that I want to be with him. But my body is glued to the couch, it won't let me move.

I manage to croak out a weak "Damon." It's the only thing I can force out of my mouth.

His face falls and he moves to the door. "I need a drink," he mutters.

My head is screaming at my body to stop him, to not let him leave.

"Damon!" I yell more forcefully and he stops in his tracks, leaning his head against the wood. "Look at me." He doesn't move. "Please."

Slowly, he turns around; I can see him steeling himself.

I've been waiting for this moment all my life. "Damon, I love you!"

He looks at me incredulously. "What?"

"I love you! I love you! I love you! God, Damon I've just been waiting for you to love me back!"

I have a huge smile on my face, and he rushes back towards me, grabbing me by the waist. A little moan escapes my throat at the contact of his hands. "Say it again," he demands.

"Damon, I love you!"

"Do you mean it?" He's been hurt and lied to so many times, I can tell that he's hesitant to believe me.

I reach up and cradle his face with my hands. "Damon, I've been in love with you since I was thirteen. You're it for me; there's never been anybody else."

His face lights up and he presses his forehead into mine. "You're it for me too, Lena. I've been looking for something that I had all along."

Damon's body moves a fraction closer to mine. Fire spreads through my veins, and I can't remember ever feeling so alive. _Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me._

I move my hands from his face to slide along the inside of his suit coat. He grumbles in response and pushes his chest flush against mine. This moment is perfect. I'd never thought that I could have him, and now I do. If I could stay here forever, I would.

"Marry me."

I jump back a little bit. "What?"

He looks a little ashamed. "Sorry, I just…"

"Yes, just not right now."

"Really?"

"You've got me forever."

He smiled and pulled me even tighter against him. My heart was beating furiously out of my chest, and one of his hands came up to hold the nape of my neck.

And then he kissed me.

* * *

**AN: AH! So what did you think! Don't worry, the next chapter will be much more interesting, if you know what I mean... ;)**

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Tell me! **

**Song: A Drop In The Ocean - Ron Pope**


	12. All I Need Is Right Here Beside Me

**AN: And here we go...**

* * *

**Elena**

And then he kissed me.

The second his mouth touched mine, I practically melted in a pool on the floor. His lips grazed mine softly; like he was afraid he would hurt me. God, he tasted wonderful.

All of a sudden I understood the gushings of girls in romantic novels. I understood the heroines in fairytales. I understood the all the princesses who finally found their prince.

Before, I'd only imagined what kissing Damon would be like. But now, I know. It's completely dialectic, like the warmth of sunshine mixed with the crash of thunder. He makes me crazy and calm at the same time.

His lips move over mine with a little more force and I have to work to hold back a moan. _He hasn't even done anything yet!_

Damon smiles against my mouth and moves to kiss my jawline, traveling down to my neck. Everywhere he touches bursts into flames and sends white hot sparks down to my core. He moves back up to my mouth and kisses me again, with a little more force this time. I open my mouth under his, and the tip of his tongue meets mine.

My body jolts at the contact, and Damon laughs against me. It's the most wonderful thing that I've ever heard. His genuine laugh has always been my favorite thing about him, but I've always had to admire from afar. Now, I can feel his chest vibrate, and feel his mouth moving. It's beautiful.

Damon pulls away from me, and I instantly feel cold. I reach out to grab him, pull him back to me and kiss him senseless, but he grabs my hands gently. Smiling, he plants a kiss on both of my palms.

"I think we should slow down, Lena." _What? That's the last thing that I want to do._

"No! I want you!"

He laughs a little. "Lena, I want you too! God, I want you so bad, I want to touch that perfect body of yours and to make you mine, and only mine."

I find myself nodding eagerly. _Yes! Yes! Yes!_

He smiles at me, and grabs my chin gently, stopping my vigorous movements. Damon searches my eyes with his piercing blue ones. "Remember when we had that conversation a while ago, after…you know?"

Damn it! I had managed to forget about him the whole night, until now. _Klaus._

"Yes."

"I told you that I wanted you to wait for someone that you were truly in love with, and I'm not sure that…"

I saw where he was going before he finished his sentence. "No! Damon, it's you. It's you! You're the one that I love. And God, I love you so much! It feels so good to say that out loud, after all those years of hiding it…"

He cut me off with a searing kiss. It was completely different from our gentle kisses from before. His mouth ravaged mine and I loved every second of it. I kissed him back with equal passion, entwining my fingers in his silky hair, and exploring his mouth with my tongue. He groaned in my mouth, which made me even more excited. His hands were running desperately all over my body.

"Damon." I whispered.

He broke away from my mouth, and looked me in the eye, breathing heavily. "Yeah?"

"Make love to me."

He responded with another kiss, gathering me to him. Trying to remember what I'd seen in movies, I pushed his suit jacket off of his shoulders, letting the black fabric fall to the floor. His large hands raced over the bare skin of my back, causing shivers to follow in the wake of his fingers.

I was on fire; my whole body was exploding with my need for him. Now that he was only clad in his white button down, I could explore his beautiful upper body easily. I caressed his shoulders and moved down to hold his biceps while he worked magic on my mouth.

His lips kissed the column of my throat, before moving into dangerous territory. Heat broke over my skin, and I had trouble breathing when his mouth grazed my cleavage. The prospect of his mouth touching other areas of my body made me shiver deliciously.

His mouth traveled to my shoulder, and he bit me lightly with his blunt teeth. I moaned in response. _God, I'm in love with this man!_

I began to work the buttons on his shirt, and Damon groaned when my fingers grazed the skin of his chest.

He looked like he was going to move away from me. "Elena."

"No talking," I responded, capturing his mouth with mine. He kissed me back with passion, every touch of his tongue spreading fire through my body. I finished with the offensive shirt, and threw it on the floor to join the jacket.

I froze when I realized what I had just done. I'd moved us into unknown territory, and I couldn't go back. This is where I'm lost. I'd kissed a ton of guys, sure. But getting undressed was a completely different matter. My fingers were shaking with nerves as I reached out to touch his smooth skin.

I was in awe of the beauty before me, his body was obviously the image of male perfection. I lightly held onto his shoulders, afraid of what to do next.

Damon knows me so well, he stilled when I did. "It's okay, Lena. Touch me."

I smiled up at him and began to trace his muscles with my fingers, moving downwards to graze his abs. My breath caught in my throat at the feel of his body contracting and rippling under my touch. I reached out, and pressed a tentative kiss on his chest with my mouth. Damon moaned and pulled me into his arms, hugging me against his bare torso.

"We can stop Elena. We can stop if you want."

"No. Damon, I want to be with you. I want to be one with you. I'm so in love with you, you're all that I want; I just…don't really know what to do."

He dropped a kiss to my forehead. "That's one of the many things I love about you. You're so innocent and pure and beautiful, nothing like any other girl I've met or slept with."

And with those words, I was hit with the realization that Damon had slept with so many girls. All of whom were more experienced than me, and prettier than me, and hotter than me.

I looked up at his blue eyes. "I just don't know what they know. I don't know how to pleasure you or anything."

"Elena. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but if I never have sex again, I'll be perfectly okay, as long as I get to be with you."

I laughed, and he smirked. "You'll just have to put up with my porn addiction."

I slapped him gently on the chest, but even that contact sent goose bumps over my skin. "Oh shut up!"

Damon looked at me in earnest. "I'll take care of you, okay?"

The look of lust in his eyes made me shiver. "Okay."

"Are you sure you want to do this right now, I mean, we can wait…"

I cut him off immediately. "Damon, I want this. I promise. I've waited for you far too long."

He gave me a swift kiss on the forehead, before moving his lips to mine again. The passion contained there almost stopped my heart. His hands tangled in my hair, and I explored the muscles of his back with my hands.

This was perfect. It was all I ever wanted. Being with Damon was like having the lights turned on, and realizing that you'd been living in the dark. I was supposed to be in his arms for the rest of my life. I was in love with him, and the fact that he was the sexiest man in the world helped a little.

Deciding to be daring, my mouth left his, and I kissed down his neck, darting out with my tongue. He pressed me against him a little tighter. "Jesus, Elena. You keep doing that, and I won't be able to hold on much longer."

I smirked, and ran my nails down his chest lightly. Damon kissed me again. "I think you're a little overdressed."

He spun me around in his arms and found the zipper of my dress, lightly jerking on it, but not letting it fall. I held my breath. Damon placed a gentle kiss on my shoulder and pulled, letting the gown fall at my feet.

I was so exposed, and I wanted to run and hide, to pull my dress up and cover myself. But I had to remind myself, this was _Damon_.

He traced my spine with his fingertip, and sparks shot through my skin. Placing a kiss between my shoulder blades, he grabbed my hand and twirled me around to face him.

My self-consciousness went away immediately when I saw the look on his face. His eyes were intense as he took in my nearly naked body.

"Beautiful," he murmured. I felt a blush race to the surface of my skin. His fingers found my face and then trailed down to the hollow of my neck. He placed a kiss there before swiftly cupping my breasts through my bra. I gasped, and my chest shoved into his hands out of its own accord. Damon pressed a kiss on my ribcage before reaching around and unfastening my bra, and letting it fall to my feet. He murmured in approval before touching my bare skin. I sizzled at the contact. Damon skimmed a thumb over my nipple and I cried out, letting his hands work over me. He took one nipple in his mouth, and I laced my hands in his hair pushing him closer to me. _Damon. Damon. Damon._

He brought his mouth up to mine once more, exploring my naked back with his hands. It wasn't until I felt my calves hit the bed that I realized we'd been moving. He pushed me down gently, and looked at me sprawled across the covers. His finger grazed my bare stomach, and in turn, it erupted in butterflies.

"You're even more gorgeous like this." He gazed at my bare legs, and his eyes moved to the conjunction between my thighs. I could feel my need for him pooling there. Damon undid his belt, and pushed his pants down his legs, removing his shoes and socks also. He reached for my feet, and started to undo the straps of my heels.

_Just when I thought he couldn't get any more perfect…_ Here I was, lying naked; spare a scrap of lace, on a hotel room bed, while Damon Salvatore stood in front of me in nothing but boxers. I've never been happier.

Damon finished with my shoes and placed a kiss on my ankle before crawling on top of me. My body was aching for him, and I could barely contain my excitement about what will come next.

He placed his elbows on either side of my body, letting his chest graze mine. The slightest of touches sent more heat straight _down there_.

This is what I love most. Damon's weight on top of mine, it's just so intimate for me. He completely engulfs me; his broadness makes me feel delicate and small.

I reached up and grabbed his face, kissing him with everything I had. This is right, so right!

I felt his arousal pressing against me and I instantly tensed. _Klaus._

Everything rushed back into my head. _Klaus_ touching me, _Klaus_ pressing up against me, _Klaus_ hurting me, _Klaus_ grabbing my breasts, _Klaus_ pushing his arousal into me, _Klaus_ making me touch him.

I froze. The rational part of my brain was telling me that I was safe, that I was with Damon, that Damon loved me. But the part that controlled my body was screaming at me to get out, to run, and to cover myself up.

"Elena!"

I looked up and met blue eyes. _Damon_. I instantly relaxed again. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine sweetie. What's wrong?"

"It's just, _Klaus_."

Damon looked at me with concern. "Get that bastard out of your head. You're safe. You're here with me, and I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you. Understand?"

I nodded, slowly bringing myself back to me normal, letting myself feel again. Damon was still on top of me, and he was so warm and so beautiful. His arousal pressed into me, but all I felt was excitement.

I looked him square in the eye. "Damon. Help me forget."

He groaned as I pushed my hips into him. "Elena…"

"I want you, all of you."

Damon hungrily took control of my lips again, his tongue sending shivers down my spine. His hands moved to my breasts again, and I writhed against him, trying to get some desperately needed friction. My hands traveled his torso and pulled him closer to me. His warm skin slid along mine, and his tongue traced down to my belly button, dipping into it.

"Damon…" I moaned. I'd never felt anything like this. It was amazing, and beautiful, and just perfect. My skin wanted to turn itself inside out, and I was on fire everywhere.

He kissed around my underwear, and I gasped when a trace of his breath came through my lace underwear, which was soaked with my need for him. His hands slid to my inner thighs, and I could barely breathe. Slowly, he peeled my panties away from my body, leaving me completely bare for him. He leaned down and gently blew on me, and in response, my body jerked.

I could feel him smiling, while he spread my legs and fit his shoulders between them. He slowly licked me, and the ache I was feeling intensified immensely.

I was burning, and all I wanted was for Damon to ease my ache. I didn't really know what I wanted him to do, but I figured he did.

He kissed my folds and I nearly screamed with need. "Damon!"

I panted and he inserted one finger inside of me. Jesus. I'd never felt anything like it before, the warmth of someone else's body radiating from within me. He started to move his finger in and out, and my hips bucked against him. _More_.

Kissing my thighs and my stomach, he added another finger and continued to pump in and out of me. I frantically reached down to him, pressing his shoulders and head closer to my heat. He kissed my center, while he moved in and out of me. I was in ecstasy, this was fucking amazing. His fingers were working magic on me.

He began to rub my clit with his thumb, and with every rotation, I could feel myself slipping to the edge. My breathing sounded more like gasping as he touched me.

Damon rested his head on my thigh, while he added a third finger. The pleasure was overwhelming, and when he brought his mouth back down to suck on my clit, my whole body exploded. Waves of pleasure were rolling over me, and I could literally see stars painting the backdrop behind my eyes.

My body fell back down, and I couldn't believe what had just happened. I just had my very first _orgasm_, and it was a million times better than anyone had ever described. My whole body felt exhausted, and all I wanted to do was settle into the covers and fall asleep.

But all of those thoughts flew out of my head when I felt Damon's skin sliding against mine as he crawled up my body. The ache immediately flared up again, and the immense need returned. His beautiful body was lying on top of mine, and though I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, I needed a minute to catch my breath.

He pressed kisses on my ribcage, before moving up to tongue my collarbones. I yearned to have him, to be one with him. "Damon…"

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, pressing his lips against my shoulder. I shuddered with his words; _I have waited so long to hear him say that._

"You always have been, since you were a little girl." Damon moved across to my other shoulder and traced patterns with his tongue. I couldn't help but moan and writhe under him.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you." He kissed my jawline. "I love you."

I was melting. This was a million times better than any daydream.

Damon lay on top of me, his forearms supporting his weight on either side of my body. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled at him. "Perfect."

He grinned back and kissed me softly. My mouth responded to his immediately, and I attacked his lips furiously, unable to get enough of him. His tongue danced with mine, and I couldn't help but whimper in his mouth. He groaned in response, his length pressing into my stomach. I could barely contain my excitement. "Damon!"

He smirked at me. "Did you need something?"

I didn't even know what to ask. But he knew what I needed, he always had. "Are you sure, Lena?"

"Yes," I breathed.

I felt him shift over me, and he positioned himself at my entrance. "Do you remember what we talked about before?"

My thoughts drifted to our conversation, and him telling me the basics. "I remember."

He looked at me with a soft smile on his face. "I love you Elena."

"I love you too."

He started to push into me slowly, and my heart caught in my throat. I felt warm from the inside out, and with every little push, I felt more and more complete. He filled me and I could physically feel him pushing at a barrier deep inside me. I caught his eyes and gave him a swift nod, before capturing his lips in a kiss. The sharp pain stabbed my insides and I cried out into Damon's mouth. He gave me a soft kiss, staying where he was.

It took a second for the pain to reside, but once it did, I could understand why it was worth it. I was whole with Damon inside of me, he filled every inch and the pleasure he gave was threatening to make me explode for a second time.

"God, Lena. You're so tight," he groaned, resting his forehead against mine. I reached up and grabbed his face with my hands, pulling him in for a kiss.

He began to move inside of me, and I thought the pleasure would kill me with the first stroke. I couldn't explain it if I tried. With every thrust, he took me higher than I had ever been before, and I moaned in ecstasy. _Damon._

He sunk his hips lower and pushed into me at a whole new angle, hitting a spot that set my body on fire.

Damon interlocked our fingers and placed them on the pillows above me, letting his forehead drop to mine.

"Elena," he breathed, and with that one word, he threw me over the edge. My insides exploded and my body shook with pleasure. He reached his release shortly after me, and we shuddered together, lost in the satisfaction of each other.

Once he could move again, Damon pulled out of me and collapsed on the bed. I felt the loss immediately, and I wanted to be filled again, but my body screamed for sleep.

Damon dropped a kiss on my forehead before nestling me in the covers. He moved through the room and turned off the light before climbing into bed next to me and pulling me to him.

"How are you feeling?"

I turned around in his arms so I could face him. "Amazing."

He grinned at me, and I grinned back, snuggling into his embrace. Sighing in contentment, I drifted off to sleep in the protection of Damon's arms.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore."

He tucked me further into him, and repeated my words. "I love you too beautiful."

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**AN: OH MY GOD. I cannot believe I wrote that. It took me a while, but I think I got it out okay. Thank you so much for reading, it means the world to me!**

**Song: The Light - Sara Bareilles**


	13. I Never Thought This Life Was Possible

**AN: I am so sorry for the delay, I was trying to figure out where to go from here. Plus, school has just started, and my class load is enormous. Again, I love you all so much, and I appreciate your follows/favorites and reviews!**

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**Damon**

I've never felt happier in my whole life. I just felt complete somehow, like the final pieces in the puzzle of Damon Salvatore fell into place. Elena curled into me a little more and the feeling of her bare skin sent warmth through my body.

God, she is so fucking perfect. Her body has no flaws, only perfections. Her skin, the set of her hips, those long long legs, her breasts, her arms, her hands, the curve of her back, her shoulders, her face, her smile, her lips, God, those lips!

She moved closer to me, and her smell enveloped me. I placed a kiss on her shoulder and she smiled, somewhere between sleep and waking.

I rested a hand on the curve of her waist, and traced the valley between her hip and her ribs over and over again, her skin like silk between my fingers.

She opened her eyes and her breathing stopped for a second, like she had forgotten where she was. But realization set in, and she flipped herself in my arms so that she was facing me.

Elena placed one palm on my cheek and smiled at me. "I love you so much."

Okay, I have to admit, my heart melted a little bit. She kissed me, and I was expecting her to pull away after a slight brush of our lips. But this girl keeps surprising me. Her mouth hit mine with a surprising force, and she wrapped both arms around my neck. The touch of her tongue on my bottom lip send sparks to my favorite appendage. I melded myself to her, and rolled her over, nestling myself between her legs. Her body accommodated mine, and she ground her hips into me, making me even harder.

Her hands travelled to my back, and dug into my skin, bringing both faint pink lines, and a groan from my lips. "God…Elena…"

I didn't know how long I could wait to be buried in her sweet heat.

She pulled me in for a bruising and electrifying kiss, and whispered, "Take me."

God, she's beautiful. I responded with a primitive growl and moved my hands to her inner thighs. I parted them even more and thrust into her, pushing as far as I could.

She felt so fucking good! Elena whimpered under me, and I snapped out of my pleasure-induced haze. I pushed some hair out of her face. "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you want to…?"

"Damon," she interrupted. She placed her hand on top of mine and smiled. "I'm fine. I'm way better than fine."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded vigorously, and wiggled her hips, every movement making me ache. "I love you Damon."

I smiled, I could get used to this. "I love you too Lena.

I dropped a kiss on her nose, and she giggled, before wrapping a hand around my neck and molding our mouths together.

I started to move, all the way in and all the way out, relishing how perfect she was. She was moaning with every hit, and I reached down, rubbing her clit with my fingers. Whimpering, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she started to convulse around me. I threw my head back and came right after her.

After I got my breath back, I flashed a smile, and she grinned right back up at me. My heart was beating freakishly fast, and I grabbed her hand, pushing it flat against the skin on my chest. _Bum-bum bum-bum bum-bum_. Her little palm was warm, and her smell was all around me.

I pulled out of her and fell to my side, my hands pushing the hair off of her face and tracing her cheeks. "You're beautiful in the morning."

She smiled at me and ruffled my hair. "You don't look too bad yourself, sexy."

I waggled my eyebrows in her direction. "I mean, you can just call me Damon…"

She laughed and flipped over, pushing her back into my chest. My arm instinctively went around her waist, and I trailed the soft skin of her stomach with my fingers. She giggled, and the vibrations raced from her body to mine, making me smile. At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, I can safely say that I've never felt happier.

"You're tickling me!"

"Sorry love."

I placed a kiss behind her ear and ceased the movement of my fingers. Last night was amazing. Today was amazing. The sex was amazing.

I've had plenty of sex. Plenty of it. Probably a lot more than I should have. But Elena was by far the best. She just fit me, and I fit in her. Like we were made for each other, or something.

I feel like the Grinch, my heart was three times too small before, and now Elena pumped it back up. And waking up to her this morning was unreal. Usually, my mind races the second I open my eyes, charts and to-do lists filling my head. But today, Elena's naked skin was pressed into mine. Her warmth made me feel loved, and I felt like a real man, protecting my girl in my arms. I can't believe that I ever slept with anyone else. I didn't really need to. If I had known that life would turn out like this, I would've kissed Elena when we were in high school.

Her breathing slowed down and I ran my fingers through her silky hair. But my mind immediately drifted to the place I never wanted to leave.

Best. Sex. Of. My. Entire. Life.

Just the thought of her under me has me getting hard. Skin on skin, nothing between us, sharing everything, and…

Nothing between us!

_We didn't use a condom!_

_Fuck!_

I scrambled out of the bed, and Elena woke with a start. "What? What happened?"

I found my suit pants on the floor and pulled them over my hips, trying not to concentrate too much on the fact that I could see a whole lot of naked Elena from this perspective. "Get up! We have to go!"

She gave me a confused look, but she jumped out of the bed anyway, her body on full display. I held in a groan. All I wanted to do was grab her, throw her back on the bed and ravish her. But her safety came first.

"Why are you putting your shirt on over your jacket?"

I looked down to notice that in my haste, I'd put my suit coat on first and had been attempting to pull the sleeves of my white oxford over it.

_Damn it!_ I rearranged my clothing. "Elena, put your dress back on, we have to go!"

"Damon! What the hell is going on?"

I felt kind of embarrassed but I realized that I would have to tell her sooner or later. "We didn't use a condom."

Her face contorted for a second. "We have to go get you a morning after pill or something. An like right _now_!"

She wasn't moving, so I ran over to her, and grabbed her dress off of the floor, trying to find the neck hole and the zipper.

But then I heard it. She was _laughing!_

Oh Jesus. It's finally happened; a girl has gone mad from my extensive love-making.

I turned back to her, and she tried to smother her giggles. She walked up to me, and cupped my face with her hands.

"Damon, it's okay!"

"But you could be pregnant and…"

"Damon, I'm on the pill."

_Wait_. "What?"

"I've been on it since I was sixteen. You know that night, when you know, I was gonna do it with Matt?"

I nodded. She had almost been with that loser. I wanted to travel back in time, punch his lights out, and then make love to her right there on the motel bed.

"I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. I've been taking it ever since, just in case."

"Really?"

"Really."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We don't want any little Damons running around."

Elena's smile faded a little bit, and she dropped her eyes to the floor. "I do."

Oh God. This girl is something else. As nervous as I was about having kids, I could picture it with Elena. I just didn't want some miniatures of myself, running around and being assholes. I don't really have any genes worth passing on. And actually, when I thought about it, Elena carrying my baby inside her was kind of hot. When I thought about what we would have to do to create said baby, I could feel myself harden again.

Elena was still very, very naked, and at the sight of her in front of me, I was ready to take her again. I brought her form to me, and kissed her slow, taking my time, and leaving her with weak knees. "You want to have my baby?"

Her eyes lit up like fireworks. "Yes!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "But not right now, okay?"

"Someday."

I leaned in to kiss her again, and she met me halfway, letting our tongues engage. She pushed my jacket off of my shoulders, and began to work on the buttons of my shirt while I kissed across her collarbone. When she finished with my shirt, she traced the outline of my stomach muscles with her fingertips, the slight touches sending shivers through my spine. No other girl had affected me like Elena did. She could turn me on with a look or a brush of our hands. Hell, she could turn me on by being in the same room as me.

She grabbed my face and pulled me to her mouth, kissing me hard, and letting her tongue attack mine. I moaned in her mouth, and she fucking caught my bottom lip between her teeth, hotwiring the need in my pants.

God, I wanted her. This was a first for me too, usually I kicked the girls out after I used them. I never slept with them, and on the rare occasion that I was too drunk to get rid of them, I held nothing but disgust for them in the morning.

And here I was. I'd had the best sex of my life with Elena last night, slept with her in my arms, and was just as in love with her in the morning. This was something special.

She sucked on my lower lip, and gently bit it. I groaned, and buried my hands in her hair. I desperately wanted to ravage her breasts and her heat, and then take her over and over again, but she was in charge this time.

Her mouth left mine, and she placed open mouthed kisses across my jawline and down my neck while her hands explored my chest. She reached my clavicle, and her hot little tongue darted out, licking the hollow. She kept moving down my body, lavishing my chest with kisses. Her hands studied my skin, and she tweaked my nipple, making me growl. She reached the waistband of my pants, and found the button undone and the zipper down, a byproduct of my hasty dressing. I could almost feel her thinking, and after waiting for a moment, she pushed my pants down to my ankles letting my length spring free. Her mouth was so close to me, I could feel her breath hitting my throbbing member. I could picture her taking me in her mouth, and almost swallowing me whole. The mental image of her doing just that, mixed with the heat she was radiating almost sent me over the edge.

I looked down to see Elena on her knees, debating what to do next. She was in front of me; about to do what countless other women had done before, kneeling _beneath_ me and pleasuring me.

She was so different than them.

"Elena…" I pulled her up, and grabbed her chin with my hands, making her look at me.

She looked apologetic. "Damon, I'm so sorry. I just don't really know what to do…"

"Elena, love, that's not it. I stopped you because you don't belong there, down on your knees, like a prostitute. You are my equal, not my submissive."

I realized that sounded really mushy, whenever I tried to express my feelings, I usually ended up sounding like a girl.

Trying to redeem myself, I added, "While I'm good with anything involving your mouth and my penis…" Elena looked down, embarrassed, and I laughed at her innocence. She was so beautiful. "We'll do it in another position okay? You aren't beneath me, if anything, you are above me."

She bit her lip and nodded at me. "I'm also very good with kinky. We can do kinky."

She laughed and gave me a kiss. "Okay, but first, I want to try something."

Elena placed her warm little palm in mine, and led me to the side of the bed. She pressed her weight into me, and let me fall on the bed. Her hands traveled my stomach and my hips as she nudged herself between my legs. She looked down at my erection, and moved down to place a kiss on the tip. _Sweet Jesus._

I moaned a little bit, and that spurred her on. She pushed her mouth farther down my shaft, and licked the underside with her tongue. _There was no way that she had never done this before!_

Her fingers, lips and tongue worked over me, her eyes locked on mine. She was easily the hottest thing I'd ever seen. Ever.

I moved my hands to grasp her hair, and thrust her mouth farther down. Elena fucking moaned low in her throat, and just like that, I came. She swallowed, and crawled back up my body, kissing my chest and purring in satisfaction.

"How was that?"

I'd forgotten that she was a naïve little thing. I laughed, and pulled her up so that her face was level with mine, her delicious breasts rubbing against my chest, and her wet center touching my stomach. I started to harden again, just thinking about how good she tasted, how good her breasts fit in my hands, and the soft slope of her back. I shot my hands to her sides and tickled the spot between her ribs gently. She giggled, and the vibrations of her chest moved through me.

"It was perfect Elena! Where the hell did you learn to do that?"

She flushed, and I couldn't help but note how the pink spread down to her breasts. "I might have searched it online."

"You little minx!" I growled at her. "You'll pay for that…with pleasure."

I rolled over on top of her, smothering her laughter with a passionate kiss. She smiled in my mouth and I smiled back in hers, letting her feel the happiness that was radiating through my being. I've never felt happier.

Elena traced my jaw with her mouth, and kissed me again, mumbling her thoughts against my mouth. "I never want to leave you."

Her words were like magic for my heart, fitting the pieces back together; the ones my father had shattered with his fists years before. I'd never felt good enough until now. I'd never felt needed, or wanted. My father made sure that I understood that I was worthless.

But Elena mended my broken heart with her kisses, and in that instant, I knew that I wasn't worthless, because Elena loved me. She wanted me, and my purpose in life was to love her with all I had.

I kissed her with everything in me, and her hips rubbed against my erection. Painfully slowly, I pushed inside of her, letting a groan spill out of me at her tightness. She mewled under me, and wiggled her body. I continued to love her with long, smooth strokes, kissing her with all the love I had. When she finally came under me, I followed in an instant, letting my forehead rest on top of hers and breathing her breath.

In that moment, I felt like I had woken up, like someone had turned the light on. Elena had been here for me all along, but I was too busy building walls around myself. Kissing Elena, being with Elena, it was something new. It was the end of paralysis. It was waking up.

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**AN: So? Tell me what you thought! Review please! I love you guys so much!**

**Song: Poison Oak - Bright Eyes (The title of the story comes from this song!)**


	14. Epilogue

**AN: This is the epilogue! Thank you so much for sticking with me. All of your reviews made my day! My classes are taking over my life, but hopefully another story will be started eventually. Thank you again, and I love you all!**

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**Damon**

I sat on our front porch, and watched the boys play. The oldest and youngest were on one team, while the ones in between were on the other. The eldest would pull the six year old on his broad shoulders, and dodge between the other boys, stopping at the opposite hoop, and letting the littlest one throw the ball through the net. He swung the youngest around and let him down, before resuming the game. After another point was scored by the team of three, the littlest looked towards me.

"Dad, we need you! We're gettin' _creamed_!"

I laughed at him, and jogged across the lawn to join them, swiping the ball, and scoring an easy three pointer. At this point, only our seventeen year old, Grayson, could beat me in basketball, and I was determined to pull rank on the younger ones as long as I could, in love of course.

"Not fair!" The twins threw themselves towards me. At eleven, they were already starting to show signs of an upcoming growth spurt, and I was dreading the day that they were as tall as me.

Cap locked himself around my waist, while Logan sprang up to grab on to my neck. Their weight made me take a step back, and honestly, I struggled to stay upright with the two ninety pound beings on top of me.

I shrugged them off, and they began to lunge for me again. I held up my hands. "Face it, you guys are just jealous that I'm better than you, and that I have a six pack!"

Tommy grabbed Cap in mid-run and gave him a mock punch to the gut.

"Hate to break it to you Dad, but your skills are getting rusty. And your six pack isn't that great…"

Logan stopped and pulled up my shirt. He punched me as hard as he could in the stomach. I feigned pain, and started to howl. "I think one of them fell off!"

"Jamie!" I beckoned to the youngest. "Count these for me."

I lifted up my shirt again as the little boy counted. "One, two, three, four, five, six!"

He turned and announced to the other boys. "Daddy _does_ have a six pack!"

"Well so do I!" Gray showed off his muscles.

Jamie looked up at me, and then down at his six year old stomach. He pulled his shirt up. "Daddy, when do I get one?"

I laughed. "Soon buddy, soon. But you have to work to get big and strong like me!"

Gray and Tommy jumped me at the same time. "No seriously guys, your mom used to call me the Eternal Stud."

Jamie peered up at me. "What's eternal mean?"

I picked him up and tickled his side. "It means forever buddy."

"I think we can prove that we're stronger than Dad…" Cap said. He exchanged a look with his brothers and started counting. _Oh no_. "One…"

Everyone else joined in with evil grins on their faces. "Two…"

And finally, Jamie led the final rally. He laughed and screamed, "Three!"

They rushed at me, from different sides, and I closed my eyes and cringed, waiting for four bodies to latch on to me. However, they never came. Instead, I only heard the sound of Elena's voice.

"Are you boys playing fair?"

Jamie shrieked with laughter. "Momma, we're going to get him!"

Tommy grabbed Jamie out of my arms, and started running toward the house, screaming something about how the last one to the remote was a rotten egg. The rest of the boys raced after him, laughing and screaming as they went.

Once they were all inside, Elena started to walk towards me. She might have gotten older, but she was still just as beautiful as she was at 24. And she was just as sexy too.

Her hips swayed, and the raw movement of her body called out to me. Honestly, I wanted to grab her and take her right there on the grass, but what would the neighbors think?

She smiled at me. "I heard you bragging about your muscles to the boys."

"Well, they need to know whose boss."

She stood a few feet in front of me, and playfully put her finger to her chin. "I don't know. I might need to see that six pack again, so I can make the final decision."

I laughed and grabbed her, spinning her around. "You've seen enough of this body to last a lifetime, but I don't mind showing you again."

I smirked, and she laughed, and I couldn't help thinking that there was no where I'd rather be. Elena was my life, and she had given me our boys, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I looked into her beautiful eyes, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you Mrs. Salvatore."

"I love you too."

I winked at her. "Now enough of the mushy gushy. Bedroom! Now!"

She began to protest as I lifted her over my shoulder. "Damon, the boys!"

"We can be quiet right?"

She giggled against my back, and I continued. "Just kidding, I forgot how much you love screaming my name!"

"Damon!"

I slid her from my shoulder and wrapped her legs around my waist. "I love you!"

She laughed again. "I love you too."

Her brow furrowed for a second. "Okay, _fine_. You can have ten minutes."

I grinned, she never could resist me. "Oh, baby, you know that I only need three."

God, I love this girl.

* * *

**AN: One last review? xxx**


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